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Sunscreens: can they prevent skin cancer?

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Prevention of Skin Cancer

Part of the book series: Cancer Prevention — Cancer Causes ((CPCC,volume 3))

Abstract

Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in humans [1]. Furthermore, Armstrong and Kricker [2] have calculated that in white populations over 90% of cutaneous malignant melanomas are caused by sun exposure. Similar proportions of both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin are likely attributable to sunlight exposure [3]. Because of the high proportion of skin cancer caused by sunlight, prevention programs have become increasingly common not only in high incidence areas such as Australia [4,5], but also in lower incidence countries such as Canada [6], the US [7,8] and the UK [9].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Control Research Program, B. C. Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Richard P. Gallagher F.A.C.E., M.A. & Tim K. Lee Ph.D

  2. Department of Health Care and Epidemiology,, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Richard P. Gallagher F.A.C.E., M.A. & Chris D. Bajdik Ph.D

  3. School of Computing Services, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Tim K. Lee Ph.D

Authors
  1. Richard P. Gallagher F.A.C.E., M.A.
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  2. Tim K. Lee Ph.D
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  3. Chris D. Bajdik Ph.D
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, The Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    David Hill Ph.D.

  2. National Cancer Control Initiative, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    J. Mark Elwood M.D., D.Sc.

  3. Cancer Epidemiology Centre, The Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Dallas R. English Ph.D.

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© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Gallagher, R.P., Lee, T.K., Bajdik, C.D. (2004). Sunscreens: can they prevent skin cancer?. In: Hill, D., Elwood, J.M., English, D.R. (eds) Prevention of Skin Cancer. Cancer Prevention — Cancer Causes, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0511-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0511-0_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6346-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-0511-0

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