Amy L. Bulger, Jonathan E. Mayer, and Alan C. Geller are with Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Jeffrey E. Gershenwald is with the Departments of Surgical Oncology and Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Samantha R. Guild is with AIM at Melanoma, Richmond, CA. Mark A. Gottlieb is with Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law, Boston.
Published: August 2015
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Several states have passed legislation banning minors from indoor tanning; however, concern has been raised regarding enforcement. We explored the statutes pertaining to enforcement in the first 6 US states to pass legislation banning minors younger than 18 years from indoor tanning. The findings reflect significant variability in enforcement provisions across the 6 states. Further investigations are needed to determine whether the statutes are successful in curbing indoor tanning among youths and ultimately whether indoor tanning bans among minors help to reduce skin cancer incidence.
Although many people who use tanning beds are aware of the negative consequences, they continue to indoor tan, possibly due to addictive properties. The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on tanning addiction, its potential biological mechanisms, and its association with psychological disorders. A PubMed search was conducted using the terms "Tanning Addiction," "UVR AND B-endorphin," and "tanning dependence AND gene.
Importance: UV-induced mutagenesis leads to a higher tumor mutational burden (TMB) in cutaneous melanoma relative to other cancer types. TMB is an important prognostic marker in advanced melanoma; higher TMB is associated with greater clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibition and improved survival.
Objective: To evaluate the association between cutaneous melanoma TMB and indoor tanning exposure, as well as other demographic, dermatologic, and tumor characteristics.
David B. Buller, Julia Berteletti, and Irene Adjei are with Klein Buendel Inc, Golden, CO. Carolyn Heckman and Anna Mitarotondo are with the Rutgers Cancer Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Kevin R. J. Schroth is with the School of Public Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Alan C. Geller is with the T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Jerod L. Stapleton is with the College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington. Samantha R. Guild is with the AIM at Melanoma Foundation, Frisco, TX. Jeffrey E. Gershenwald is with the M D Andersen Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston. Robert Dellavalle is with the Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Sherry Pagoto is with the Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs.
To describe progression, content, and stringency of state legislation regulating indoor tanning and association with state government political party leadership. Trained research assistants used legal mapping methods to code legislative bills on indoor tanning introduced in US states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. We calculated composite scores on the stringency of age restrictions and of warnings, operator requirements, and enforcement.
Background: Indoor tanning increases the risk of skin cancer and can become addictive. There is little research on indoor tanning cessation interventions.
Methods: From 2019-2022, we conducted a clinical trial (n=265) testing a tailored mobile messaging cessation intervention in 18-30-year-old females screened for indoor tanning addiction.
Substantial geographic disparities in melanoma incidence and access to tanning bed facilities exist. In this spatial ecological study, we evaluate the relationship between access to tanning bed facilities and melanoma incidence. New England county-level melanoma incidence rates (2014-2018), tanning bed facilities location, demographic data, socioeconomic data, and geographic data were obtained from the National Cancer Institute State Cancer Profiles, Data Axle, American Community Survey, and United States Geological Survey.
