Do Marathoners Have More Skin Cancer Risk?

Lack Of Sunscreen And Suppressed Immune Systems Are Factors, Study Shows

(WebMD)  Marathon runners can be proud of their stamina, but all that time outdoors boosts their risk of skin cancer, including the potentially deadly malignant melanoma, according to a study in the Archives of Dermatology.

"We are the first to report this," researcher Christina M. Ambros-Rudolph, MD, tells WebMD in an email interview.

Ambros-Rudolph is a consultant dermatologist at the Medical University of Graz, Austria.

She and her co-researchers, all runners, conducted the study after caring for eight ultra-marathon runners with malignant melanoma over the past decade.

Comparing Runners and Nonrunners

In the study, the researchers evaluated 210 marathon runners, men and women, aged 19 to 71.

They compared the runners' skin cancer risks with those of 210 men and women matched for age and gender who were not long-distance runners.

All participants underwent a skin cancer exam and answered questions about personal and family skin cancer history, as well as changes in skin lesions, sunburn history, sun sensitivity, and physical characteristics such as skin and eye color.

Even though more of the nonrunners had higher sun sensitivity, reflected by their light eyes and sensitive skin types, the runners had more atypical moles and more lesions called solar lentigines — often called "liver spots" — which are associated with a higher risk of malignant melanoma.

Not surprisingly, the more intense the training regimen, the more likely a marathon runner was to have the lesions and moles, Ambros-Rudolph found. While some runners logged about 25 miles a week, others put in more than 44 miles a week.

No lesions suggestive of malignant melanoma were found, but 24 marathoners and 14 from the control group were referred to dermatologists to evaluate growths that looked like nonmelanoma skin cancers (such as basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers).

What's Behind the Increased Risk?

The study reflects what dermatologists see in practice, says Diane Madfes, MD, a New York City dermatologist and a spokeswoman for the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Among her patients who are long-distance runners, Madfes says she has seen many cases of abnormal moles as well as nonmelanoma cancers, though not much melanoma, she says.

Greater ultraviolet exposure, of course, is one explanation for the increased risk, say the Austrian researchers.

Nearly 97 percent of the runners studied said they wore running shorts and short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts.

Only 56 percent said they regularly use sunscreen; nearly 2 percent never do.

Also, long-term, high-intensity exercise suppresses the immune system, the Austrian researchers write. They note that patients who have undergone transplants and had immunosuppressive therapy have an increase in all types of skin cancers.

Reducing the Risk

Ambros-Rudolph advises runners to cover up, train when sunlight exposure is less intense, and slather on the sunscreen — in spray or lotion form. An SPF of 15 or higher is recommended.

The type of product preferred varies by gender, Ambros-Rudolph has observed. "Men usually hate using lotions, and sprays are quicker to apply and easier to apply on hairy skin, while women often suffer from dry skin and love lotions that moisturize at the same time."

Reapplying a water-resistant sunscreen every two hours is important, adds Madfes.

She suggests runners consider bicycling attire, especially the long-sleeved shirts made of newer wicking materials that draw away moisture from sweat.

About 62,000 new cases of malignant melanoma are expected this year in the United States, along with more than a million nonmelanoma skin cancers, says the American Cancer Society.

About 8,000 are expected to die this year from malignant melanoma; nonmelanoma skin cancers will claim about 2,000 lives.

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SOURCES: Ambros-Rudolph, C. Archives of Dermatology, Novemer 2006; vol 142: pp1471-1474. Christina M. Abros-Rudolph, MD, consultant dermatologist, department of dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Austria. Diane Madfes, MD, New York City dermatologist; spokeswoman, The Skin Cancer Foundation.

[alphaa10-2009]

1. The protection afforded by sunscreens is questionable from the standpoint it must be frequently reapplied, and no runner carries along a bottle of sunscreen and remembers to stop to apply it. Obviously, even with the same careful application, not all sunscreen formulations are equally effective.

2. Cedric and Frank Garland of the University of California warn us about the hidden effects of sunscreens. While the two acknowledge sunscreens protect against sunburn, they insist we have no scientific evidence sunscreens protect against basal cell carcinoma or melanoma in humans. The
widespread use of chemical sunscreens, they suspect, is the primary cause of the epidemic of skin cancers. Sunscreens also provide a false sense of security, encouraging people to lengthen their exposure to UV. Dr. Gordon Ainsleigh of California stated that the use of sunscreen causes more cancer deaths than it prevents.

[alphaa10-2009]

Runners and UV-- 2
3. Houston heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley noted early in the marathon and running craze of the 1980s that many of his well-conditioned marathoner friends developed an unusual variety and frequency of cancers. Combining his familiarity with the runner population with the developing theory of free radical damage to cell DNA, he developed the theory that marathoners actually invite more genetic damage than they get from UV alone by the added free radical products of their exercise. The typical marathoner processes huge volumes of air and calories, with a hefty load of free radicals formed as a by-product.

[guysdigdirt]

Tell me, if you can or will, of any activity out there that does not have risks.

We can live life or we can merely survive it, closed up in our houses doing nothing, but then that will kill us too.

We are not here for a long time, we are here for a good time, live life.

I will stack my marathon runner's life up against anyone's, and for me, no one else's life will be better than my own.

[jusdane]

Studies show people who use sunscreen have a higher incidence of skin cancer, yet people still believe the marketing lies sunscreen protects them. This information is out there to be found if you research the truth. Sunscreen manufacturers won't tell you this as they're not selling sunshine, there's no profit in that. They're marketing the poisons they want you to put on your skin believing it will help. Research how much skin cancer exists in Africa where virtually no one uses sunscreen.