How Likely It Is You’ll Get Skin Cancer In Broomfield

BROOMFIELD, CO – May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month and CDC data shows residents of Broomfield have a higher likelihood of contracting skin cancer than residents of other counties along the Front Range.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the country. Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common types, though both are highly curable. Melanoma is the third most prevalent, but also the most deadly, killing 9,000 Americans in 2015 alone, the most recent year data was available.

Skin cancer is caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet rays, whether it’s from sunlight or tanning beds. These rays penetrate and alter skin cells.

In Colorado, there were 6,012 new cases of skin Melanomas between 2011 and 2015 and 797 people died from the cancer.

For every 100,000 people in Colorado, 3 died of Melanomas of the skin.

Broomfield County, with an age-adjusted melanoma rate of 32 per 100,000 people, ranked as among the counties where residents are most likely to get Melanoma, and the only county on the Colorado Front Range that was categorized in the highest category by the Centers for Disease Control.

In Broomfield County, from 2011-2015, there were 96 new cases of Melanomas of the skin, the CDC reported. Over those years, there were 16 people who died of skin Melanomas, making the death rate 6 out of 100,000 people, or twice as high as the state rate.

Here are the eight other counties in the state where residents are most likely to get Melanoma, according to the CDC. The results include rate, case count between 2015-2017 and population.

• Archuleta County, pop. 13,315
  
  • 31 cases reported
  • Rate: 32.9 per 100,000 people
• Chaffee County, pop. 19,638
  
  • 60 cases reported
  • Rate: 41 per 100,000 people
• Clear Creek County, pop. 9,574
  
  • 35 cases reported
  • Rate: 35 per 100,000 people
• Garfield County, pop. 59,118
  
  • 33 cases reported
  • Rate: 33 per 100,000 people
• Ouray County, pop. 4,794
  
  • Rate: 47 per 100,000 people
  • 16 cases reported
• San Miguel County, pop. 7,967
  
  • Rate: 34 per 100,000 people
  • 17 cases reported
• Teller County, pop. 24,646
  
  • Rate: 34 per 100,000 people
• 47 cases reported

Utah has the highest rate of skin cancer of any state at 38.3 new cases per 100,000 people. Vermont, Delaware, Minnesota and New Hampshire rounded out the top five. Conversely, Washington, D.C. saw the lowest rate with a rate of 9 new cases per 100,000 people, followed by Texas, Alaska, Nevada and New Mexico.

While some people may think they look good with a tan, it doesn’t indicate good health. In fact, it means quite the opposite.

“A tan is your skin’s response to injury, because skin cells signal that they have been hurt by UV rays by producing more pigment,” the CDC wrote on its website. “Any change in skin color after UV exposure (whether it is a tan or a burn) is a sign of injury, not health.”

Over time, too much exposure to UV rays can cause skin cancers and even cataracts and cancers of the eye.

“Every time you tan, you increase your risk of getting skin cancer,” the CDC said.

To reduce the risk of skin cancer, health officials recommend staying in the shade, covering arms and legs, wearing a hat and sunglasses and wearing sunscreen of at least SPF 15. Also avoid indoor tanning altogether.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report