Melanoma rates rise in younger women

National report

- The rate of melanoma cases in younger women has increased 50 percent since 1980, but did not increase in younger men, according to a study published in the

Journal of Investigative Dermatology

.

Researchers evaluated cancer data from 1973 to 2004, and say the increased rate is likely due to younger women exposing themselves to UV rays on the beach or in tanning salons.

For young men, the rate of new melanoma cases increased to 7.7 per 100,000 per year in 1980 from 4.7 cases per 100,000 per year in 1973.In comparison, for young women, the melanoma rate rose to 9.4 per 100,000 in 1980 and 13.9 in 2004 from 5.5 cases per 100,000 per year in 1973, according to the study.