Islands have 'high rate' of skin cancer - report

A health chief is urging residents to be safe in the sun after a study found skin cancer to be the most common cancer to affect people in the Channel Islands.

A study compared the cancer rates in the islands between 2005 and 2018 with the south west and other parts of England.

The analysis by NHS England found that people in both islands were more vulnerable to malignant skin cancer, which makes up about 40% of all cancer cases in each island.

The next most prevalent cancers suffered in Jersey were found to be breast, prostate and lung cancer while in Guernsey it was prostate, breast and digestive system cancers.

Jenny Cataroche, head of Guernsey's Public Health Intelligence, said: "We draw reassurance from the fact that Guernsey's rates for the most common cancer types - the top five for incidence and deaths - are, in almost all cases, similar to or lower than, comparison regions.

"The notable exception is for skin cancers where, as in past reports, we record more cancers than nearby areas.

"Skin cancers are directly associated with UV exposure from the sun and that's why it is so important for islanders to enjoy the sun safely. The message is two-fold: prevention such as covering up, wearing a hat, staying out of the sun between 11am and 3pm and wearing a suncream; and early detection, knowing what is normal for your skin and seeing a doctor if anything changes."

A second report to include data up to 2020 is due at the end of the year.

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