Good News For Men!
Scientific Journal Reports UVR Exposure May Lower Risk Of Prostate Disease

by Donald L. Smith

The Numbers Are Staggering

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death for men (only coronary heart disease and lung cancer claim more lives) and is one of the most feared male diseases because of the possibility of sexual impotence after surgical treatment.

In the year 2000 alone, there were 200,000 new cases (incidences) of prostate cancer diagnosed and 50,000 deaths (mortalities) recorded as a result of this disease. The incidence to mortality ratio of 4 to 1 makes prostate cancer one of the most lethal forms of cancer.

Breast cancer has a 4.2 to 1 incidence to mortality ratio and lung cancer, which is the most lethal form of cancer, has a 1.1 to 1 ratio. Cutaneous malignant melanoma has a 7 to 1 incidence to mortality ratio and non-melanoma skin cancer has an 800 to 1 incidence to mortality ratio. Basal cell carcinoma, which makes up 80 percent of all non-melanoma skin cancers, has a 2,600 to 1 incidence to mortality ratio.

Any preventative measure that has the possibility of reducing the relative risk of developing prostate cancer has great importance to men, especially if it is inexpensive and easy to adopt. In addition, anything that would delay the age of onset of prostate cancer in men that develop this disease also would be beneficial.

One Solution

Imagine what the response would be to the introduction of a new "wonder drug" promising that it could reduce the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer by 66 percent, and delay the age of onset by five years in men who develop this disease. The demand would be absolutely tremendous, and the stock price of the company holding the patent for the drug would go through the roof!

That is why an article in the Aug. 25, 2001 issue of The Lancet by Luscombe, et al, titled "Exposure to ultraviolet radiation: association with susceptibility and age at presentation with prostate cancer" must be considered to be "good news" by all men, the women who love them and those millions of Americans who include indoor tanning as part of their hectic schedules.

Luscombe found that the relative risk of developing prostate cancer was directly related to the amount of UVR exposure--with the lowest quarter of the study participants, or "quartile," of UVR exposure three times more likely to develop this lethal disease than were those in the highest "quartile" of UVR exposure. Thus, those in the highest quartile of UVR exposure reduced their relative risk of developing prostate cancer by 66 percent and the other two higher exposure quartiles also showed significant reductions in comparison to the lowest exposure quartile.

In addition, the authors show that the age at which prostate cancer was diagnosed for the men in the lowest quartile of UVR exposure was 67.7 years as compared to 72.1 years for all three other quartiles. Since prostate cancer is a very slow growing form of cancer, this five-year delay in the age of diagnosis is highly significant.

Too Little Is Worse Than Too Much

Since only about 600 men die prematurely each year from non-melanoma skin cancer that can be related to overexposure to UVR while 33,000 men die prematurely each year from prostate cancer related to underexposure to UVR, it can be concluded that 55 men die prematurely due to underexposure to UVR for every one that dies prematurely because of overexposure to UVR.

The public should keep in mind that the indoor tanning industry does not advocate either overexposure to UVR or underexposure to UVR; rather, we advocate sensible, moderate and responsible exposure to UVR. Both the dermatology community and the sunscreen industry advocate avoidance of UVR and the use of a high SPF (sunburn protection factor) sunscreen every day of the year regardless of location, time of day and season.

The Luscombe paper (and many others) show how self-serving this advice really is. How can dermatologists (who are, after all, physicians who are charged to "first do no harm") recommend a course of action that protects the one man who dies prematurely because of overexposure to UVR at the expense of the 55 men who die prematurely from prostate cancer associated with underexposure to UVR?

The Relationship Between UVR And Prostate Cancer Risk

Luscombe covered the relationship between UVR and prostate cancer risk by pointing out that both "vitamin D and parathyroid hormone have been associated with the development of prostate cancer" which is a premise that other authors have proposed. Thus, an increase in UVR exposure has the net effect of increasing the circulating levels of the seco-steroid hormone known as vitamin D.

New And Interesting Information

One of the new and interesting findings of the Luscombe study was the fact that "Cumulative exposure and sunburning in childhood, which have been linked with increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer, were associated with reduced prostate cancer risk. Hair color and skin type, characteristics that are associated with host response to UVR and non-melanoma skin cancer were not linked with prostate cancer risk. Thus, UVR seems to have distinct effects on these diseases."

The Bottom Line

A 66 percent reduction in the annual incidence of prostate cancer could mean that 132,000 men might be spared the agony of receiving this diagnosis and the same reduction in mortality would mean that 33,000 men might not die prematurely each year.

All that would be required is for all men to make sure that they receive a UVR dose of 0.5 MED (0.4-0.6 MED) or more two or three times each week year-round. Obviously, the best place to accomplish this objective is at an indoor tanning salon where the dose can be controlled year-round.

The Luscombe article proves, once again, that the benefits of sensible, moderate and responsible exposure to UVR outweigh the minimal and manageable risks involved, and, the potential hazards of both overexposure to UVR and underexposure to UVR must be taken into consideration in order to formulate a fair and rational public health policy that will protect everyone.

Author's Note: I would urge the women reading this article to give a copy to the men in their life because they need to know this important information.