Researchers at the Penn State Cancer Institute have been analyzing cancer registry data from over the past five years or so.
What they found is that there’s a 15-county stretch in Pennsylvania where adults of a certain age have a higher chance of getting melanoma.
Published last week, the report — published in the JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics — states that this “skin cancer cluster” is situated in the south central region of the state. This includes Lycoming and York counties, among others.
It’s in this cluster that those over the age of 50 have a 57 percent higher likelihood of developing the disease. It also involves both rural and metropolitan areas, indicating that these cases are not necessarily confined to remote places or those with the most outdoor exposure.
“Melanoma is often associated with beaches and sunbathing, but our findings suggest that agricultural environments may also place a role,” said associate professor of dermatology at Penn State Health and study co-author, Charlene Lam, via press release. “And this isn’t just about farmers.
“Entire communities living near agriculture, people who never set foot in a field, may still be at risk.”
As for why this might be happening, sunlight, of course, has been considered as a factor. So, too, have cultivated cropland and herbicide usage.
“Pesticides and herbicides are designed to alter biological systems,” explained emeritus professor of public health sciences at the school and the paper’s senior author.
“Some of those same mechanisms, like increasing photosensitivity or causing oxidative stress, could theoretically contribute to melanoma development.”
Lam added that she lops to better understand these factors in relation to public health. And encourages everyone to get their annual skin check.
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