Awareness of sun exposure risks and photoprotection for preventing pigmentary disorders in Asian populations: Survey results from three Asian countries and expert panel recommendations

Skin Cancer Knowledge, Sun Exposure, Photoprotection Behavior, and Perceived Barriers Associated with Skin Cancer Types in a Greek Cohort: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Island of Crete

BACKGORUND

This study aimed to explore the relationship between different types of skin cancer and factors such as sun exposure and photoprotection measures in a Greek cohort on the island of Crete.

METHODS

This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Dermatology Department of the University Hospital in Heraklion, Crete, between January 2019 and January 2024. The study population included consecutive patients diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and malignant melanoma (MM), as well as healthy controls. The participants completed a self-reported questionnaire covering demographic and clinical data as well as questions about sun exposure and photoprotection habits.

RESULTS

A total of 265 skin cancer patients and 106 healthy controls participated in the study: 50.6% of the patients had basal cell carcinoma, 35.1% had squamous cell carcinoma, and 14.3% had malignant melanoma. The cohort comprised 41.5% females and 58.5% males, with a mean age of 73.2 years. As expected, the patients with skin cancer had a lighter skin phototype compared to the healthy controls (p < 0.01). They also reported greater occupational (p < 0.01) and leisure sun exposure (p < 0.01) and a higher median number of vacation weeks spent outdoors before the age of 18 (p = 0.030). Furthermore, the healthy controls were more likely to use sunscreen (p = 0.035) and preferred higher SPF (>50) when they did so (p < 0.01). The healthy controls also reported more frequent use of sunglasses (p < 0.01), brimmed hats (p < 0.01), and long-sleeved clothing (p < 0.01) compared to the skin cancer patients.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to analyze sun exposure and photoprotection behaviors in patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and malignant melanoma (MM) in Crete, revealing the key associations and underscoring the need for targeted prevention strategies.

Burden of melanoma in China and its provinces from 1990 to 2021: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background

The incidence of melanoma in China has been increasing over the past few decades. This study aimed to investigate the burden of melanoma at both national and subnational level in China, where the population is rapidly aging.

Methods

The annual melanoma data from 1990 to 2021 was collected from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 China subnational study. Number of cases and age-standardized rates were estimated for incidence, mortality, prevalence, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of melanoma by age and sex at subnational level with 33 province-level administrative units. Joinpoint regression model was used to evaluate the trends in disease burdens attributable to melanoma across time. A decomposition method was used to attribute changes in total deaths and DALYs to three explanatory components: population growth, population aging, and change of age-specific rates.

Results

Over the past 30 years, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of melanoma in China has shown an upward trend. The ASIR of melanoma in 2021 was 0.7 per 100,000 (95%UI 0.4-0.9), representing an increase of 89.2% (95% UI: 14.7-157.9%) from 1990. Among younger adults aged <60 years, melanoma was more common in men, whereas among older adults who were aged >60 years, it was more common in women. The ASIR was higher in the coastal provinces in 2021 and the age-standardized rates (ASR) of DALYs was generally higher in the western provinces. Total numbers of death and DALYs of melanoma increased over the study period, mainly driven by population aging in China.

Conclusion

China has experienced a substantial increase in the burden of melanoma from 1990 to 2021. It is beneficial to develop more targeted strategies for older adults populations, especially for women, to reduce the melanoma burden throughout China, particularly in some coastal and western provinces.

Polyphosphazene Microparticles with High Free Radical Scavenging Activity for Skin Photoprotection

Ultraviolet (UV) filters are the core ingredients in sunscreens and protect against UV-induced skin damage. Nevertheless, their safety and effectiveness have been questioned in terms of their poor photostability, skin penetration, and UV-induced generation of deleterious reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, an organic UV filter self-framed microparticle sunblock was exploited, in which quercetin (QC) and hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP) were self-constructed into microparticles (HCCP-QC MPs) by facile precipitation polymerization without any carriers. HCCP-QC MPs could not only significantly extend the UV shielding range to the whole UV region but also remarkably reduce UV-induced ROS while avoiding direct skin contact and the resulting epidermal penetration of small-molecule QC. Meanwhile, HCCP-QC MPs possess a high QC-loading ability (697 mg g-1) by QC itself as the microparticles' building blocks. In addition, there is no leakage issue with small molecules due to its covalently cross-linked structure. In vitro and vivo experiments also demonstrated that the HCCP-QC MPs have excellent UV protection properties and effective ROS scavenging ability without toxicity. In summary, effective UV-shielding and ROS scavenging ability coupled with excellent biocompatibility and nonpenetration of small molecules make it a broad prospect in skin protection.