Canadians among the most susceptible to skin cancer according to study

author-image
Priyadarshinee N
New Update
NULL

Canadians among the most susceptible to skin cancer, study finds

Canadians might adore their short summers and flock to the beaches in droves, but a new report finds we also have one of the highest risks of developing skin cancer.

A new study has ranked Canada 19th on a list of 62 countries with the highest susceptibility to skin cancer.

The study graded countries on several factors, including its average UV light, its average skin tone based on demographics, and its rates of new skin cancer diagnoses.

It was produced by Derma.plus, a German organization that provides dermatological advice.

Advertisment

New Zealand ranked highest on the skin cancer index, with a score of 10. The country, which receives high amounts of sunshine and where much of the population is white, has some of the highest skin cancer incidence rates in the world.

Australia was a close second, with a score of 9.67. Switzerland, Sweden and Norway rounded out the top 5 with scores in the 5 range.

While Canada doesn’t get at much sun as some countries on the list, it placed 19th on the list with a score of 3.41 in large part due to our skin type score, which was determined by looking at our ethnic distribution.

Bangladesh residents were found to be least susceptible to skin cancer, followed by those in Iraq and Egypt. All three countries scored a 1 on the index.

In Canada, approximately 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed here each year. That includes more than 5,000 cases of melanoma -- the mostly deadly form.

cancer
Advertisment