UK indoor tanning ban would reduce melanoma deaths

Source: Medical Xpress, May 2022

A ban of commercially available indoor tanning would substantially reduce deaths from melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, a study led by University of Manchester researchers has concluded. The study findings are being published to coincide with Melanoma Awareness Month.

By tracking the projected impact on the 618,000 18-year-olds living in England in 2019, the research team showed that a ban on indoor tanning would result in 1,206 fewer cases of melanoma and 207 fewer melanoma deaths over their lifetimes. In addition, it would result in 3,987 fewer cases of other more common types of skin cancer (squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas) which impose a major burden on both affected patients and the NHS.

The study, funded by the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, brought together a multidisciplinary team needed to address the financial, social and clinical aspects of the skin cancer project. The study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, also examined the costs of a public information campaign at the same time as the ban, and the potential savings to the NHS.

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