Smoking tied to skin cancer

Stephanie Simmons, LSW, EmPoWER Somerset

On May 6, local educators, advocates, public leaders and community members gathered outside the Somerset County Historic Courthouse to attend “Safe Fun in the Sun.” This press conference was coordinated by the Somerset County Cancer Coalition, The Wellness Community of Central New Jersey, and The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, as a means to proclaim May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer. In fact, every year in the United States over 1 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed. Just imagine — that’s more than breast, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, uterine, lung and colon cancers combined. The American Melanoma Foundation’s website includes a Skin Cancer Fact Sheet which indicates that one American dies of Melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer) every 61 minutes, and that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

So what can you do to protect yourself from skin cancer? Popular skin cancer prevention suggestions often include: wearing a hat and UV-blocking sunglasses, applying sunscreen and steering clear of tanning beds, despite your desire to look like you just came back from vacation.

Another less-advertised suggestion is to quit smoking! The American Cancer Society cites a research study which discovered that smokers are more than three times as likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer, than nonsmokers. Researchers also determined that as smoking rates escalate, so do skin cancer rates, and today’s smokers are more likely to develop skin cancer than former smokers. Furthermore, smoking increases one’s risk of developing skin cancer despite their gender, age, sun exposure or other facts related to skin cancer.

As Community Partnerships for a Tobacco Free NJ Coordinator at EmPoWER Somerset, which is funded by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program (CTCP), and member of the Somerset County Cancer Coalition, I believe it is imperative for everyone to understand the strong link between smoking cigarettes and developing skin cancer.

Therefore, if you or anyone you know is interested in quitting smoking you can contact The Somerset Medical Center’s Quit-Center at 908-685-2442. You can also logon to New Jersey Quitnet at: nj.quitnet.com or call New Jersey Quitline at: 1-866-NJ-STOPS.