Need some extra motivation to slather on the sunscreen every a.m.? People who have had non-melanoma skin cancer may have an increased risk of developing another type of cancer in the future, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine. Seeing as how skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in the United States—and non-melanoma is the most common type—these findings are pretty alarming.
Several previous studies have shown a link between non-melanoma skin cancer and other types of cancer, says lead study author Jiali Han, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Researchers at the hospital analyzed data from two long-term studies in the U.S. and found that women with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer had a 26 percent higher chance of developing a subsequent cancer. (Men had a 15 percent higher risk.) For women specifically, the researchers found a significant link between a history of non-melanoma skin cancer and, later, lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma.
Han calls the association modest and points out that it’s not necessarily a causal one. More research is needed to determine why the association exists. And while this just adds to the humongo list of reasons why skin cancer is scary, remember: It’s also one of the most preventable kinds of cancer.
Learn your risk for developing the disease and what you may not know about it. And don’t forget—ever—to spread on sunscreen before you leave home. It may take a couple of extra minutes, but it’s so worth it.
More from Women’s Health:
Giada: “Protect Yourself from Skin Cancer”
Some Melanoma Survivors Don’t Use Sunscreen
The New Skin Cancer Fighter