Tanning Bed Access & Usage Drives Higher Rates of Melanoma in New England

Melanoma accounts for only 1% of skin cancers in the United States but results in the largest number of skin cancer deaths. Investigators who evaluated the potential link between the availability and use of tanning beds and the rising rates of melanoma in New England found compelling evidence linking tanning bed usage to increased melanoma risk.

They say their spatial epidemiologic study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology provides insights to inform public health strategies and reduce melanoma incidence.

The incidence of melanoma in the US has been increasing over the past two decades. Melanoma incidence continues to increase at about 1% each year among females, while it has stabilized in men. Many factors contribute to a region’s incidence of melanoma; the most preventable risk factor is ultraviolet (UV) radiation from both natural sources like solar radiation and artificial sources like tanning beds, assert authors.

The investigators evaluated the geospatial relationship between melanoma incidence and access to tanning bed facilities at the county level in New England (2014-2018). They obtained melanoma incidence rates, tanning bed facilities locations, and demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic data from the National Cancer Institute State Cancer Profiles, Data Axle, American Community Survey and United States Geological Survey.

The study revealed a significant association between greater access to tanning bed facilities and increased rates of melanoma in the New England region of the US. Investigators identified six high-risk clusters, seven low-risk clusters, and one outlier of melanoma incidence. Adjusted spatial regression identified that for every one-minute increase in average travel time to tanning facilities within a 30-minute travel time threshold, the melanoma incidence rate decreased by 3.46% in the same county and 1.92% across New England. These results suggest that people in regions with more tanning bed facilities may experience higher incidences of melanoma.

The lead investigator was Oliver Wisco, DO, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Co-first authors include Megan M. Tran, Department of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Guixing Wei, PhD, Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences, Population Studies and Training Center, Brown University, explain.

According to the team of researchers, despite the well-known dangers of UV radiation, access to tanning beds remains widespread, and their usage continues to be prevalent in many regions, and it was this “reality” that compelled them investigate the potential link between the availability and use of these facilities and the rising rates of melanoma.

“Although we anticipated finding a connection between tanning beds and melanoma, the strength of the association was more pronounced than expected. Our findings add to the growing body of evidence linking tanning bed usage to increased melanoma risk. These results provide critical insights to inform public health strategies aimed at reducing tanning bed use and ultimately, melanoma incidence,” said Dr. Wisco. “We hope to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their skin health and protect themselves from this disease.”

The authors say their research offers compelling geographic evidence linking access to tanning beds to the deadly disease. The negative association between travel time to tanning facilities and county-level melanoma incidence rate suggests that decreasing access to indoor tanning facilities may help reduce the regional melanoma incidence rate.  Future registries should consider capturing data on tanning bed usage to help refine and target melanoma prevention efforts. However, additional research with detailed tanning behavioral data is needed, the authors assert.

The study has been published by Elsevier.