title: The potential impact of reducing indoor tanning on melanoma prevention and treatment costs in the United States: An economic analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Indoor tanning is associated with an increased risk of melanoma. The US Food and Drug Administration proposed prohibiting indoor tanning among minors younger than 18 years.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to estimate the health and economic benefits of reducing indoor tanning in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a Markov model to estimate the expected number of melanoma cases and deaths averted, life-years saved, and melanoma treatment costs saved by reducing indoor tanning. We examined 5 scenarios: restricting indoor tanning among minors younger than 18 years, and reducing the prevalence by 20%, 50%, 80%, and 100%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Restricting indoor tanning among minors younger than 18 years was estimated to prevent 61,839 melanoma cases, prevent 6735 melanoma deaths, and save $342.9 million in treatment costs over the lifetime of the 61.2 million youth age 14 years or younger in the United States. The estimated health and economic benefits increased as indoor tanning was further reduced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Limitations include the reliance on available data and not examining compliance to indoor tanning laws.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reducing indoor tanning has the potential to reduce melanoma incidence, mortality, and treatment costs. These findings help quantify and underscore the importance of continued efforts to reduce indoor tanning and prevent melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: irm2@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Gery P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Guy
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Yuanhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Donatus U
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Ekwueme
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Sun Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Rim
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Meg
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055108:Sunbathing; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: indoor tanning; melanoma; prevention; skin cancer