Young skin cancer survivors may not be completely in the clear, a recent study shows, with higher incidence of further cancers - including melanoma - developing in the future.
The findings of a newly-published large study mar successful remission of skin cancer survivors, as nonmelanoma survivors were found to be 1.36 times more likely to develop melanoma later in life. For patients under 25, the risk was boosted to 23 times more likely, but just 3.5 higher for survivors aged 25 to 44. The patients who developed nonmelanoma cancers prior to the of 25 bear the heaviest brunt, being 53 times more likely to develop bone cancer, a 26 times higher chance of developing blood cancers, and 20 times more likely to develop brain cancer. They are also faced with a higher risk of contracting any other type of cancer - around 14 times as likely - including breast, colon, liver, prostate, and stomach.
The study was completed by researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and the University of Oxford, England. Observing 502,490 people who had previously had nonmelanoma cancers, as well as 8,787,513 people with no history of skin cancer, the study found that more than 13 percent of people in the first group went on to develop another cancer. In the second group, the number was around nine percent. However, researchers cautioned that the study considered both basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) together, without differentiating the two - thus unable to determine the precise chance of developing cancer in the future based on the type of cancer patients had in the past. "It might be that one type of NMSC [non-melanoma skin cancer] is more strongly associated with increased risks of subsequent primaries; however, only subtle differences have been noted in studies that do differentiate SCCs and BCCs," the study read.
Nevertheless, the researchers recommended early screening as the best course of action. "Early detection of cancers through screening of asymptomatic people works best when screening can be targeted at those at greatest risk," said study author Dr. Rodney Sinclair, M.B.B.S., M.D., the director of dermatology at the Epworth Hospital and professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne. "Our study identifies people who receive a diagnosis of NMSC [non-melanoma skin cancer] at a young age as being at increased risk for cancer and, therefore, as a group who could benefit from screening for internal malignancy."
The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention in March 2014.
