Re: Renewing the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer

20201 RE: Renewing the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer Dear Dr. [...] Murthy: On behalf of the undersigned medical associations and our skin cancer prevention partners, we are writing to call to renew the Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer1 to reduce the chances of developing this largely preventable disease. Skin cancer is an urgent and pressing public health issue affecting millions of Americans. Amid rising skin cancer rates, in July 2014, U.S. Surgeon [...] The call to action declared skin cancer a public health crisis in the face of staggering statistics showing that nearly 5 million people were treated for skin cancer in the U. S. [...] with almost 5.5 million cases diagnosed in Americans each year – more than breast, colon, lung and prostate cancers combined.4 Skin cancer affects people of all ages, including children. [...] Children spend a large amount of time outside, with research showing more than 40 percent of an individual’s lifetime UV exposure occurring during the first 20 years of life, and multiple sunburn events during childhood double a person’s risk of developing skin cancer later in life.5,6 Due to this exponential exposure to the sun’s UV rays, melanoma accounts for four percent of all pediatric can [...] Dept of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, July 2014, www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/call-to-action-prevent-skin-cancer.pdf. [...] Facts About Sunburn and Skin Cancer. [...] 8 ASDSA White Paper on Sunscreen Use in Schools. a quarter thought staying hydrated prevents sunburn and 14 percent of adults aged 18-35 believe sunscreen actually poses more harm to the skin than sun exposure.9 Sunscreen is one of the proven prevention strategies in limiting overexposure to ultraviolet r [...] With one in five Americans expected to develop skin cancer in their lifetime, the need for skin cancer prevention efforts is increasingly prevalent and your leadership is critical to helping stem the staggering rates of this disease.10 We urge you to renew this call to action and request a meeting to discuss how our undersigned organizations can help the Surgeon General’s office develop a p [...] Facts About Sunburn and Skin Cancer.