NuTex
12-15-2003, 05:40 PM
I found this at the NYTimes web site Health section.
NuTex
December 16, 2003
At Risk: Sunscreen: No Link to Cancer
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen, commonly used to reduce the risk of skin cancer, actually increases the risk, researchers said yesterday.
Writing in Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers based their findings on a review of 18 earlier studies that looked at the association between sunscreen use and melanoma. Some studies had suggested that using sunscreen reduced the risk of cancer, but researchers may need decades to determine whether newer, more powerful formulas do more than just prevent sunburn, the study said.
The researchers, led by Dr. Leslie K. Dennis of the University of Iowa, said they found flaws in studies that had reported associations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma.
Most health experts believe that by protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun, sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer, which is increasing in incidence faster than any other kind of cancer in the United States.
But questions have been raised about sunscreen and whether it may have the opposite effect, perhaps by allowing people to remain exposed to the sun longer without burning.
Among the problems with some earlier studies, the new report argues, is that the researchers often failed to take into account that those people most at risk for skin cancer ? people with fair skin and freckles, for example ? are more likely to use sunscreen. As a result, it may appear that sunscreen users get cancer more often.
The studies, which generally relied on volunteers to recall their sunscreen use, were also unable to establish how well the products had been applied, the new report says.
"The effects of prolonged exposure to sun due to use of sunscreens are unclear, and further study is needed," the authors wrote.
The research did not look at new sunscreen products that protect against a broader range of the sun's rays and are waterproof.
NuTex
December 16, 2003
At Risk: Sunscreen: No Link to Cancer
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen, commonly used to reduce the risk of skin cancer, actually increases the risk, researchers said yesterday.
Writing in Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers based their findings on a review of 18 earlier studies that looked at the association between sunscreen use and melanoma. Some studies had suggested that using sunscreen reduced the risk of cancer, but researchers may need decades to determine whether newer, more powerful formulas do more than just prevent sunburn, the study said.
The researchers, led by Dr. Leslie K. Dennis of the University of Iowa, said they found flaws in studies that had reported associations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma.
Most health experts believe that by protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun, sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer, which is increasing in incidence faster than any other kind of cancer in the United States.
But questions have been raised about sunscreen and whether it may have the opposite effect, perhaps by allowing people to remain exposed to the sun longer without burning.
Among the problems with some earlier studies, the new report argues, is that the researchers often failed to take into account that those people most at risk for skin cancer ? people with fair skin and freckles, for example ? are more likely to use sunscreen. As a result, it may appear that sunscreen users get cancer more often.
The studies, which generally relied on volunteers to recall their sunscreen use, were also unable to establish how well the products had been applied, the new report says.
"The effects of prolonged exposure to sun due to use of sunscreens are unclear, and further study is needed," the authors wrote.
The research did not look at new sunscreen products that protect against a broader range of the sun's rays and are waterproof.