by Jared Garrett

Created on: January 18, 2007   Last Updated: October 01, 2009

One of the more timely conversations going on about cancer in its many forms relates to skin cancer. The more technical term for skin cancer is, of course, melanoma. There are a wide variety of melanoma cancers, including but not limited to:

*Superficial spreading melanoma

*Nodular melanoma

*Lentigo maligno melanoma

*Acral lentiginous melanoma

We list these mainly because they make up very nearly all of the diagnosed cases of melanoma. Before we get into the link between declining ozone rates and melanoma, it's important to understand that with early detection of melanoma, the cure rate is close to 95%. Early signs of melanoma are a faintly colored cyst or scar or a light bruise or scrape. If you suspect that you might have some type of melanoma, you want to get to your care provider immediately and have some lab work done.

Now, the truth is that it is difficult to take the idea of a link between declining ozone rates and melanoma cancers seriously. Any cursory research into the published studies shows that it is incredibly difficult to measure surface ozone amounts. Considering the obvious fact that human spend the majority if their outdoors time on the surface of the Earth, the only valid place to measure ozone amounts is on the surface of this planet. Given the widely accepted difficulty to measure surface ozone amounts, studies that pretend to do so need to be studied closely.

Additionally, it is absurd to discard the very real likelihood that there may be a link between what is consumed by a person and their possibility at melanoma. Overall skin health may truly be a factor in the possibility of contracting melanoma. Consider the fact that there has been a vast migration to the sun belts on the Earth (see this site), the higher incidence of tanning and the like, and the societal expectations of outward appearance. These are all habits that may have far more effect on the increased incidence of melanoma.

Further causes of melanoma also include genetic predisposition, diet, and environmental factors that include pollution and climate. The truth is that it is just too simplistic to declare that there is a proven link between decreased ozone rates and increased incidence of melanoma.

All in all, considering the fact that we need the sun to survive, and we need to spend time in the sun in order to metabolize Vitamin D and such, let's not get too frightened of the sun. Furthermore, let's not start proclaiming the battle against melanoma cancers, and other cancers, won just because we may be winning the battle against ozone.

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