Skin Cancer Prevention Orgs To US Surgeon General: Renew Skin Cancer Call to Action

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association (ASDSA), in conjunction with the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD), the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (NCSCP) and 20 other leading dermatologic associations and skin cancer prevention organizations, are calling on the US Surgeon General to renew the Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer.

Currently, one in five Americans are expected to develop skin cancer before the age of 70, prompting urgent action to protect millions of Americans, officials say.

Skin Cancer: A Public Health Crisis

In 2014, US Surgeon General Dr. Boris Lushniak released a critical Call to Action for all Americans to combat skin cancer and declared skin cancer a public health crisis. While the 2014 Call to Action resulted in successful efforts, skin cancer remains the most common cancer in the US with almost 5.5 million cases diagnosed in Americans each year – more than breast, colon, lung and prostate cancers combined. Recognizing the pressing harm to Americans, groups devoted to skin cancer education, prevention and research call on the Surgeon General to reinstate the Call to Action and implement skin cancer prevention strategies, such as investing in ways to limit the public’s ultraviolet (UV) exposure, encouraging sunscreen use and engaging in sun safety education to counter misinformation being spread on media platforms.

“Skin cancer affects people of all ages, including children,” said ASDSA President Seth Matarasso, MD. “Kids are often outside, with studies that show more than 40% of a person’s lifetime UV exposure occurs before they are 20 years old, and multiple childhood sunburns double your risk of developing skin cancer later in life.”