"Sunshine might stop skin cancers", BBC News, February 1, 2005,
Link: http://www.***.com/

Sunshine might stop certain cancers from growing, including skin
cancers, according to two new studies.

One found it helped beat the deadly skin cancer malignant melanoma. The
other found the sun helped with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

It could be down to the vitamin D made by sun-exposed skin, the Journal
of the National Cancer Institute reported.

Experts warned too much sun could cause cancer and advised people to
protect themselves against sun damage.

UV rays

The lymphoma study, by Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute
and Uppsala University together with scientists from Denmark, found UV
rays from the sun and sun lamps reduced the risks of developing cancer
by 30-40%.

They based their findings on interviews with more than 3,000 lymphoma
patients and 3,000 healthy members of the public.

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque
looked at the influence of sun exposure on the risk of dying from
malignant melanoma.

They found melanoma patients with higher levels of sun exposure were
less likely to die than fellow melanoma patients.

Previous studies have hinted that skin cells damaged by the sun commit
suicide, thereby cutting the risk of cancer.

Alternatively, it might be the increased production of vitamin D which
reduces cancer risk, said the authors.

Be sun 'savvy'

Cancer Research UK experts said it was also possible that patients who
already had melanoma and a lot of sun exposure were prone to less
aggressive tumour type.

CRUK's Dr Julia Newton Bishop said: "We should view with caution the
assertion that sunlight may be beneficial for melanoma overall.

"There is no doubt that sun exposure causes melanoma in the first
place.

"Therefore, the public health message should remain unchanged.

"It's important to remember that covering up during the peak hours of
sunshine, seeking shade and wearing factor 15 plus sunscreen, as
advised in Cancer Research UK's SunSmart campaign, are still the best
ways to avoid sunburn that can lead to skin cancer."

In an accompanying editorial, Dr William Blot from the International
Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, the US, said further studies of
sunlight and vitamin D's connection to cancer were warranted.

<snip>

Note what's said here:  "no doubt sun exposure causes melanoma."

I'm not sure what is meant by this.  I'm pretty (although maybe I'm
wrong) sure the author doesn't mean if you expose yourself to sun you
will therefore get melanoma.  I'm also fairly certain the author is not
saying that if you get a sunburn, you will thus get melanoma.  Why was
there no mention of genetics or other factors to go along with the sun?
Certainly, most people who get sunburns, even a blistering sunburn,
will not develop melanoma.  Genetics, perhaps acting with environmental
factors such as the sun, has to play a bigger role than sun itself,
just from common sense it would seem.

madiba