Indoor tanning may trigger gene mutation that boosts melanoma risk

Source: Reuters, May 2019

(Reuters Health) – Indoor tanning is associated with a higher risk of developing the deadly skin cancer melanoma at younger ages, and a recent study suggests the ultraviolet (UV) light in tanning beds may be triggering genetic mutations that can lead to skin malignancies.

Researchers examined data on 114 melanoma patients who had a history of indoor tanning and 222 melanoma patients who did not. After accounting for several factors that can impact melanoma risk – like gender, skin type, hair and eye color, sun exposure, and family history – researchers estimated that melanoma developed about a decade earlier when patients had a history of indoor tanning.

Genetic mutations linked to melanoma were also more common among indoor tanners, occurring in 43 percent of patients in this group compared with 28 percent of cases in people without a history of indoor tanning.

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