U.S. researchers conducted a study among 462 women and discovered that pregnant women who were diagnosed with melanoma during or just after pregnancy are at the higher risks of cancer than any other women. Experts also believe that the hormone fluctuations during pregnancy help the tumors flourish.
After reviewing these women's record between 1988 and 2012 (ages 49 and below), researchers found out that women diagnosed with the said condition during pregnancy or just within one year after giving birth were five times more likely to die due to cancer. The study also found out that around 12.5% of the women who were diagnosed during the pregnancy had cancer again even after treatment.
The findings which were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology also revealed that Melanoma rate in the U.S. has doubled from 1982 to 2012. Hence, experts are encouraging women to be vigilant in monitoring themselves. They said women should always check for any possible signs of cancer.
Dr. Brian Gastman, director of melanoma surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said to Reuters that the best time to prevent melanoma is before reaching childbearing age. The doctor further added that parents should protect their children from ultraviolet radiation as it can cause skin cancer.
In addition, the doctor said that parents should educate their children about the importance of sunblock or any protective clothing to guard themselves from the harmful rays. Moreover, parents should educate teens about the tanning bed as it was associated with melanoma risks.
"We know melanoma is rising in young women more than in young men," Dr. Gastman further added. "We also know that this may be cast (in terms of getting melanoma) during childhood. So combining all of this, this is as much a parental issue in caring for young female children as it is for young women."
