Skin Cancers at a Young Age May Mean More Cancer Later
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Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — People who suffer from skin cancer at a younger age may be at risk of other cancers later in life, new research shows.
Researchers in the United Kingdom compared data on 500,000 patients with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer and nearly nine million cancer-free individuals. Six years later, the skin cancer survivors were 36 percent more likely to develop a second cancer somewhere else in their bodies. Notably, the younger the skin cancer survivor, the more likely they were to suffer another cancer. Young adults — under 25 years old — were 23 times more likely to develop another cancer and 94 times more likely to develop melanoma — a more deadly form of skin cancer.
Researchers say that part of the risk is due to genetics — cancer can run in families. Still, patients who survive a battle with non-melanoma skin cancer should be careful with their diet, exercise and sleep patters, as cancer could rear its head again.
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