02.09.14
Rapid rise in skin cancer hospital admissions
The number of hospital admissions for skin cancer treatment in England increased by 41% in the space of five years, according to new figures.
The study, conducted by researchers at Public Health England, found that admission figures have risen from 87,685 in 2007 to 123,808 in 2011. However, this does not include treatment in outpatients units or by GPs.
As a result of the increased incidence rates, the annual spend on inpatient skin cancer care is now more than £95m, with the most common procedure for both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers being surgical excision.
Skin cancers can be serious, but they are preventable with excess sun exposure being the major avoidable cause. However, the latest study, which will be presented this week at the World Congress on Cancers of the Skin in Edinburgh, Scotland, revealed a 30% increase in admissions for melanoma treatment, the most serious type of skin cancer, in English hospitals over the five-year period.
Julia Verne, director of the South West Knowledge and Intelligence Team at Public Health England, said: “The number of procedures required to meet the demands are increasing at a significant rate.
“Surgery was required for 78% of non-melanoma skin cancers and 71.5% of melanomas. Over 16,000 skin grafts and flaps were required for the treatment of skin cancer in 2011 and the majority are on the head and neck.”
Johnathon Major, of the British Association of Dermatologists, stated that as holidays to sunny locations become cheaper and tanned skin remains a desirable fashion statement, “we have seen an inevitable increase in skin cancer incidence rates and the associated health and financial burden they place on the nation”.
He added that skin cancers are largely preventable and more must be done to communicate to the public the serious risks associated with “unmediated” sun exposure if we are to see a decline in these figures.
Sarah Williams, senior health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “Changes to where patients are treated may have added to the size of this increase in hospital treatment for skin cancer, but it's worrying to see rising rates of a disease that could largely be prevented.”
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