Q: My husband and I are both farmers. As we get older, I worry about the chances of getting skin cancer as we are out in the sun more than most people. Are farmers more likely to get skin cancer?
A: More than 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in Canada each year, more than 5,000 of which are melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.
Canadians born in the 1990s have a two to three times higher lifetime risk of getting skin cancer than those born in the 1960s.
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Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type and accounts for 90 percent of all skin cancers. It starts in the basal cells at the bottom of the skin and is caused by long-term exposure to sunlight. It is also the most curable and easily treated.
The second most common is squamous cell carcinoma, which is easily treated if found early before it penetrates the skin.
The worst form is malignant melanoma, which may develop from a pre-existing mole. A suspicious mole may be larger than normal and reddish with an irregular shape. This is curable if caught in time, but can be fatal if ignored.
According to an article in the Journal of Agromedicine, farmers are more likely to suffer from skin cancer than non-farmers.
Farmers accounted for about half of the 476 participants in the study.
“Farmers have high levels of sun exposure and increased risk of skin cancer. Although most farmers understand their risk and believe sun-protective behaviors reduce skin cancer risk, most do not routinely use adequate sun protection. Our goal was to identify factors that distinguish the farming population from the non-farming population,” said researcher Alexandra Carley.
The study found only 23 percent of farmers used sunscreen when in the sun for more than 15 minutes. Farmers said they did not like wearing long-sleeved shirts in hot weather.
