Evidence of skin cancer in flight crew??

[Eff Oh]

Hi guys. I was wondering if there was any evidence of an increased risk of skin cancer to flight crew. My mother has just had an operation to remove skin cancer from her forehead. This involved a skin graft, which looks VERY painfull! Also does any one know if I am at an icreased risk because my mother has had it.. .Many thanks.. .Eff Oh.

[dusk2dawn]

Go PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi) and search for "cancer aircrew"....

[broken link fixed]

[Eff Oh]

mmmmmm Very interesting!! Thanks for that dusk2dawn. Seems like the jury is still out on this one!. .Eff Oh.

[martinidoc]

The evdience is confusing. Overall there is a slight increase in incidence of Ultra Vilolet Radiation (UVR) induced non melanoma and melanoma skin cancers, in aircrew.

However a study was perform,ed in which flight deck crew wore UV detectors on their epaulettes, and there was no increase in exposure to UVR.

It is therefore thought to be more likely that the increased risk is associtated with life style factors e.g. increased rate of involvement in water sports, skiing, sunbathing in exotic locations etc.

As far as your mother is concerned, there is probably a small familial risk factor, mainly to do with skin type (e.g. fair skinned red heads more susceptible to sun burn increases risk).

To reassure you however, most non-melanoma skin cancers are relatively benign and cure rates with simple surgery are very high.