The annual total of new melanoma cases in the UK was reported to have risen above 20,000 for the first time earlier this year. This increase in cases is attributed to an ageing and growing population.
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, after prostate, breast, lung, and bowel cancers, and excluding other skin cancers. A third of those diagnosed with cancer in the UK are over 75.
In May, a group of MPs proposed a ban on advertising sunbeds, which are linked with a raised risk of skin cancer, along with sunburn and tanning. Last year, a group of experts advocated for a complete ban on their commercial use, similar to policies in Australia and Brazil.
UK ministers and local health officials are encouraged to re-evaluate the risks of UV radiation, particularly as global temperatures are predicted to continue rising. The National Cancer Plan has already committed officials in England to seek further evidence on sunbeds.