Cancer Care Alberta anticipates approximately 1,350 people in Alberta will be diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in 2026. That is nearly double the number of diagnoses from 2016 of 645 people, according to Statistics Canada. “Melanoma cases are on the rise in Alberta and around the world,” said Falyn Katz, Melanoma Canada CEO. “It can be deadly and unfortunately kills three people in Canada every single day.” According to Katz, approximately 80 per cent of melanomas are caused by UV rays from the sun or tanning beds. She pointed to many older peoples’ sun exposures catching up with them over time. “One blistering sunburn during your youth can significantly increase your chances of being diagnosed later in life,” she said. “The boomers, from the ’60s, we’re seeing those diagnoses today.” The organization held Canada’s first mobile skin cancer screening recently. It made 19 stops throughout Alberta, screening more than 1,200 people, detecting 151 skin cancers and 31 melanomas. It’s not just older people being diagnosed. Dr. Danny Guo, director of dermatologic surgery at the University of Calgary, said a trend he and his colleagues are noticing is younger people with melanoma. “We see people in their 20s come in,” he said. “People are coming in younger with more sun damage. There is an increased use from just my anecdotal evidence of tanning beds among my patients.” Both Guo and Katz strongly recommend against using tanning beds. The Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta analyzed approximately 1,000 TikTok videos relating to sunscreen use as part of a report. The overwhelming majority promoted using sunscreen for protection; however, a small minority voiced displeasure toward the UV protection. “The very small minority that was saying, you know, you shouldn’t use sunscreen, dissuading its use, was the most engaged with,” said Alessandro Marcon, senior research associate with the Health Law Institute. Guo advised against what the small minority has to say. “We need to stay protected from the sun. Sunscreen usage, UPF clothing, sun-protective hats,” he said. “Be aware of the UV index of the day.” The Canadian Cancer Society anticipates 120 people in Alberta will die from melanoma in 2016.
