April 2010 podcast transcript

This month, shocking new skin cancer statistics are released as this year’s SunSmart campaign launches, scientists have developed a gene test to predict if women will respond to a common breast cancer drug, and bill to protect children from the dangers of sunbeds passes its final hurdle in the House of Lords.

New figures released today to launch this year’s SunSmart campaign show that people in their 60s and 70s are now over five times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma – the most dangerous form of skin cancer - than their parents would have been 30 years ago.

A change in the culture of tanning means that rates in skin cancer for this generation of baby boomers have risen from 7 cases per 100,000 in the 1970s to 36 cases per 100,000 today

Caroline Cerny, SunSmart Manager at Cancer Research UK, explains why we’re seeing such a huge rise in skin cancer rates.

“This generation would have been in their 20s and 30s in the 1970s, when package holidays to sunny destinations became cheaper and much more accessible.

Sun protection was less of a priority back then, and we knew less about the dangers of sunburn. So it’s the damage that people did to their skin back then that’s causing the increase in malignant melanoma that we’re seeing now.”

Cancer Research UK scientists have developed a system which can identify faulty or missing genes that could prevent the drug paclitaxel from working. The drug is commonly used to treat breast cancer and works by stopping cell division, halting tumour growth.

The researchers scanned the genes in a breast tumour and found six gene faults that can stop paclitaxel from working. This means treatments can be tailored to individual patients and could reduce side effects and improve survival.

Lead scientist Dr Charles Swanton reveals why this is such an important finding.

“One of the problems in cancer research, particularly in clinical research in cancer in general, is the fundamental issue that we don’t know in advance of treatment which drugs specific patients will benefit from.

This new technique potentially enables us to define in advance of treatment which drugs specific patient populations will benefit from.”

A private member’s bill to protect children from the dangers of sunbeds has made it through the House of Lords. The bill was proposed by Julie Morgan, MP for Cardiff North, with support from Cancer Research UK.

Although this is a vital step, there is little time left before the general election for it to become law.

Cancer Research UK’s Head of Policy, Sarah Woolnough, explains what happens now.

“With an upcoming election, timing is tight and we need a real push an concerted support from all the main political parties in order that this bill can pass ahead of the general election.

We’re hoping that the government will consider the sunbeds bill in something called “wash-up” at the end of the parliamentary session. That’s when some pieces of legislation that have broad party support can get considered quickly in order that they pass before the general election.”

As we’ve heard, rates of skin cancer are rising dramatically in the UK. Today sees the launch of Cancer Research UK’s annual SunSmart campaign, warning people of the dangers of sunburn.

But how does sunburn increase the chance of developing skin cancer? And don’t we actually need a bit of sunshine in our lives to stay healthy?

To get to the bottom of the confusion, I spoke to Ed Yong, Head of Health Evidence and Information at Cancer Research UK. I started by asking him to explain how UV from the sun can increase the risk of skin cancer.

“Ultraviolet radiation from the sun has lots of energy, and when it hits your skin it can damage the DNA in your skin cells. Over time, this DNA damage can develop into cancer.

In the short term you see [the damage] in the form of sunburn, because the damage causes immune cells to rush to the area, it causes blood vessels to dilate which means that your skin becomes painful, red and sore – exactly what sunburn is. Now while that burn may fade in the short term, the damage remains in the long term and can lead to cancer later on in life.

There have been lots of different types of studies linking sun exposure to skin cancer. You can look at different rates of skin cancer across the world, you can do studies with individual people where you compare skin cancer rates in people who’ve been exposed to a lot of sun to those who haven’t.

You can even look at the DNA of people who have melanoma, and you see the signs of damage that are the signatures of damage by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. There’s a huge amount of evidence, and the link between sun exposure and melanoma – the most serious type of skin cancer – is one of the strongest that we have in the area of cancer prevention.

Sunbeds also increase the risk of melanoma. We know that sunbeds give out UV radiation just as the sun, and the radiation they give out is fundamentally the same. In fact, some of the UV rays given out by sunbeds can be 10 to 15 times stronger than that of the midday sun. So people who are using sunbeds are getting a very high dose of radiation that they would not normally get in natural conditions.

Everyone does need a bit of sunshine in their lives, and vitamin D is really important for healthy bones. However, the amount of sun exposure you need to make enough vitamin D, while varying from person to person, is usually quite small, and less than the time it takes to burn or make your skin redden. So everyone really ought to be able to strike a balance between making enough vitamin D and reducing the risk of skin cancer by enjoying the sun sensibly.

There are a lot of claims that vitamin D can reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, but if you look at the evidence it’s really only consistent for bowel cancer and not any other type of cancer. Even there, it’s not clear if vitamin D is directly reducing the risk of bowel cancer, or if it’s a sign of general health or some other aspect of our bodies. So we’ll need larger studies - and clinical trials in particular – to confirm that link.

But for the moment, regardless of links to other types of cancer, we do know that vitamin D is important for good health, which is why we recommend people to enjoy the sun sensibly - avoid sunburn, get enough vitamin D and reduce the risk of skin cancer.

We’d advise people not to let sunburn catch them out. No-one like to get sunburnt on holiday – it can ruin what would otherwise be a perfectly good time. So we’d recommend that people, if they’re out and about in the sun for a long period of time, protect themselves using shade, clothing and sunscreen with a factor of 15 at least.”

For more information and advice on enjoying the sun safely this summer visit sunsmart.org.uk. We’ll be back next month with more news and analysis. Until then, you can keep up to date on our Science Update blog.

Credits

• Presenter - Kat Arney
• Script editor - Laura Dibb
• Producer - Kat Arney
• Original music - Henry Scowcroft and Kat Arney
• With special thanks to all the contributors