New analysis on skin cancer screening rates among indoor tanners

Bottom Line: Skin cancer screening is underused by indoor tanners.

Why The Research Is Interesting: About 5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. Millions of Americans who have tanned indoors are at higher risk of melanoma and keratinocyte skin cancers than the general population. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends indoor tanners be screened regularly for skin cancer.

Who and When: 30,352 U.S. adults who participated in the 2015 National Health Interview Study

What (Study Measures): Indoor tanning as well as sociodemographic, health care, and skin cancer risk and sun protection factors (exposures); self-reported full-body skin cancer screening by a physician (primary outcome)

How (Study Design): Analysis of national survey data

Authors: Carolyn J. Heckman, Ph.D., Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, and coauthors

Results:

Study Limitations: The order of occurrence of behaviors, such as indoor tanning, sunless tanning and skin cancer screening was not explored.