[Illness, health and sunlight].

New scientific insights show that the influence of sunlight on health is profound. Recent data suggest that our skin is well adapted to the Dutch climate, but changes in the exposure pattern cause a steady increase in skin cancer. These changes mainly consist of a decrease in daily exposure and a shift from a regular to an intermittent exposure.

[Improved compliance with the 'Melanoma' treatment guideline].

Objective: To evaluate the level of compliance with the revised treatment guideline for melanoma (2005) and the extent to which the points of concern from the previous guideline evaluation in 2001 had been implemented.

Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Method: The evaluation was performed using data from the pathology reports of patients diagnosed with melanoma of the skin between 1 April and 30 September 2007 at hospitals that fall under the Comprehensive Cancer Centres for the South and West of the Netherlands.