Abstract
The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) has been increasing at a steady rate in fair-skinned populations around the world for decades. Scientists are not certain why CMM has been steadily increasing, but strong, intermittent UVB (290–320 nm) exposures, especially sunburn episodes, probably initiate, CMM, while UVA (321–400 nm) passing through glass windows in offices and cars probably promotes it. The CMM incidence may be increasing at an exponential rate around the world, but it definitely decreases with increasing latitude up to ~50°N where it reverses and increases with the increasing latitude. The inversion in the incidence of CMM may occur because there is more UVA relative to UVB for most of the year at higher latitudes. If windows, allowing UVA to enter our indoor-working environment and cars, are at least partly responsible for the increasing incidence of CMM, then UV filters can be applied to reduce the rate of increase worldwide.
Highlights
The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) has been increasing at a steady rate in fair-skinned populations around the world for decades [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
Scientists think the increasing incidence of CMM is linear based on surveillance epidemiology and end results (SEER) data in the USA that only dates back to 1973 [12], but it may be exponential in the USA and in some other regions of the world
Notice that the CMM incidence increases with decreasing latitude; near 50◦N in Northern Europe the incidence begins to increase with increasing latitude
Summary
The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) has been increasing at a steady rate in fair-skinned populations around the world for decades [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. The UVA (321–400 nm) passing through glass windows in offices and cars has been proposed to promote CMM [14]. In support of those possibilities exists the paradox between indoor and outdoor worker’s UV exposures and their incidences of CMM. Scientists think the increasing incidence of CMM is linear based on surveillance epidemiology and end results (SEER) data in the USA that only dates back to 1973 [12], but it may be exponential in the USA and in some other regions of the world
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