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Ocean County Has State’s Third-Highest Incidence of Skin Cancer
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May 29, 2007 -- Ocean County accounts for 10 percent of the approximately
1,300 new cases of melanoma diagnosed annually in New Jersey —
with approximately 1,700 Ocean County residents currently living
with diagnosed melanoma.
That’s the news from the Cancer Control and
Prevention Capacity and Needs Assessment Report Summary produced
by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Center
for Cancer Initiatives, The Office of Cancer Control and Prevention.
On average, 130 new melanoma cancer cases and 28 deaths are reported
annually in Ocean County.
“This report provides potential opportunities
to reduce melanoma,” says Kimball Medical Center dermatologist
Julianne Kuflik, M.D., who notes that the report points to the latency
of melanoma and underscores the importance of targeting Ocean County’s
nearly 119,000 youngsters with education about skin protection and
safety behaviors. “The good news is that in Ocean County and
New Jersey, most cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the localized
stage.”
Among skin cancers, melanoma comprises approximately
5 percent of all cases but accounts for 75 percent of the deaths
due to skin cancer. Early detection is the key to a high cure rate
for melanoma, which if undetected, will over time spread throughout
the body.
Melanoma can be cured if it is diagnosed and treated when the tumor
is thin and has not deeply invaded the skin — the stage at
which about 82 percent of these cancers are diagnosed. Caught at
a local stage, the five-year survival rate is 94 percent for melanoma
— underscoring the importance of regular screenings for skin
cancer, according to Dr. Kuflik.
Since 1973, the incidence rate of melanoma has increased about
4 percent each year. Environmental problems, particularly the depletion
of the ozone layer have heightened the insidious effects of the
sun's rays, as sun worshippers are being subjected to more ultraviolet
exposure, particularly ultraviolet B rays.
"Additionally, UVA (ultraviolet A), the longest wavelength in the
ultraviolet spectrum of sunlight, is causing more and more problems
as the deeper penetration of this form of radiation has also become
a major contributory factor to the onset of malignant melanoma,"
Dr. Kuflik says.
Adding to this problem is the fact that the harmful effects of
the sun's ultraviolet rays are cumulative — as much as 80
percent of lifetime sun exposure and subsequent damage occurs before
a person reaches age 20. Because of the possible link between severe
sunburns in childhood and greatly increased risk of melanoma in
later life, cancer experts stress that children, in particular,
should be protected from the sun. A survey sponsored by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention found that approximately 43 percent
of white children under age 12 had at least one sunburn during the
past year.
For a referral to a Kimball Medical Center dermatologist,
call 1-888-SBHS-123.
CONTACT: Kathleen Horan
Public Relations and Marketing
732-557-3909
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