Tanning Bed Access and Usage Linked to Melanoma Risk Across New England

Tanning bed access and usage is  driving increased melanoma risk in specific regions of New England, according to a new spatial epidemiologic study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Specifically, 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, the study showed.

“Although we anticipated finding a connection between tanning beds and melanoma, the strength of the association was more pronounced than expected,” says lead investigator Oliver Wisco, DO, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and co-first authors Megan M. Tran, Department of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, RI, in a news release. “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. We hope to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their skin health and protect themselves from this disease.”

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.

Commenting on the study, noted expert David E. Fisher, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Melanoma Program, MGH Cancer Center and Cutaneous Biology Research Center, MGH, adds: “Melanoma is one of the relatively few human cancers for which a common, preventable cause is well documented:  UV radiation. This study helps clarify the linkage between tanning beds and melanoma and helps us focus on how policies aimed at limiting tanning bed use may hopefully further diminish melanoma risk.”