TOPLINE:

In a registry-based study, melanoma incidence rates in North Tyneside were found to be twofold higher than the national average among individuals aged 25-49 years, potentially due to excessive ultraviolet (UV) exposure from commercial sunbeds.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analysed invasive melanoma incidence rates among individuals aged 25-49 years across four geographical regions in England from 2010 to 2019 following sunbed exposures.
• The analysis included the alignment of sunbed inspection areas with corresponding sub-integrated care board (ICB) levels used by the National Disease Registration Service.
• Researchers collected melanoma incidence data from NHS Digital for the sub-ICB regions. Data compilation involved combining incidence information when inspected regions corresponded to multiple sub-ICBs.

TAKEAWAY:

• Melanoma incidence rates were higher among individuals aged 25-49 years in North Tyneside in the North East than among those in the other inspected regions from 2015 to 2019.
• Mean incidence rates per 100,000 were twofold higher in the North Tyneside region (women: 43.8; 95% CI, 37.6-50.8; men: 23.6; 95% CI, 19.1-28.7) than in England (women: 19.0; 95% CI, 18.6-19.4; men: 11.5; 95% CI, 11.2-11.9).
• Women aged 25-49 years in North Tyneside demonstrated peak melanoma incidence rates of 60.5 per 100,000 (95% CI, 47.0-76.5) in 2015, and men showed rates of 35.7 per 100,000 (95% CI, 25.6-48.5), representing a threefold increase over the national averages.
• Melanoma incidence rates were intermediate in the South West and East Midlands, followed by London.

IN PRACTICE:

"An outright ban on commercial sunbeds offers the most cost-effective approach to protect those who are most vulnerable, reduce the associated melanoma and skin cancer burden, and thereby ease NHS pressures," the authors wrote. "This must be accompanied by targeted education that counters misleading claims about overall benefits of UV exposure and tanning and conveys a clear message promoting sun-safe practices," they added.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Sophia Kreft, The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, England. It was published online on February 03, 2026, in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

The inspected local authorities varied in their representation of sub-ICBs. Regional variations in the incidence of melanoma were also influenced by demographic factors, particularly ethnic composition. The anonymised nature of cancer registry data prevented the analysis of individual sunbed use patterns. Additionally, the lack of data on sunbed UV emissions from other regions limited the full exploration of the relationship between measured sunbed irradiance and the incidence of melanoma across England.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive any specific funding from public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. One author reported receiving personal fees and having other ties with MSD, Pierre Fabre, BMS, lovance, and MLA Diagnostics.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.