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Skin Cancer – A Word From Marie Curie Cancer Care

Don’t get caught
out

– Marie Curie Cancer Care, NatWest and
Lloydspharmacy keeping
Britain sun safe this summer
–

 

This year, more than 8,000 men and
women in the UK are likely to
be diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin
cancer* and many could lose their lives – in 2003 it claimed the lives
of 1,817 UK people**.

 

Marie Curie Cancer Care has teamed up
with NatWest and Lloydspharmacy to raise awareness of the dangers of
sun exposure and the importance of using an SPF of 15 or above. The
‘Sun Safety – Don’t Get Caught Out Campaign’ also aims to raise funds
for pioneering skin cancer research being undertaken at the Marie Curie
Research Institute.

 

The campaign is driven through
NatWest’s sponsorship of the cricket – the NatWest International
Twenty20s and the NatWest Pro40. At these matches, sun safety booths
provide free sun cream donated by Lloydspharmacy. NatWest has already
raised close to £15,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care in the space of
just two Twenty20 games and three One Day
Internationals.

 

Paul Collingwood, captain of the one-day squad for the series
against the West Indies, is supporting the
campaign.

“I’m a huge fan of the work of Marie
Curie Cancer Care. Their nurses do a fantastic job and their skin
cancer research is world-class. Being outside for long periods of time
means I have to be sun safe – it’s so important not to get caught
out.”

 

Stewart Vaughan (28), captain of
Dorking FC in Surrey, died in
April from skin cancer. He had been married to his partner Heidi Cooke
(27) of Purley, for just five weeks. Stewart was cared for at home by
the Marie Curie Community Hospice Team and
later received nursing and medical support at
the Marie Curie unit of the North Downs Hospital.

 

Heidi is now supporting the ‘Sun
Safety – Don’t Get Caught Out Campaign’ and is urging everyone – young
and old, sports fans and others – to wear sun
cream.

“People aren’t aware of the dangers of
the sun and therefore don’t protect themselves against it. I want to
make sure everyone knows that sun exposure comes with the risk of skin
cancer. I think people assume it will never happen to them but it
happened to my Stewart.”

 

There are some simple steps to being
sun safe this summer – it’s easy to follow Marie Curie Cancer Care’s
sun CARE code:

  • Cover up by wearing a hat, t-shirt and
    sunglasses
  • Avoid the sun between the hours of
    11am and
    3pm when it is at
    its most dangerous
  • Remember to use a minimum of SPF 15 sunscreen, apply generously
    and reapply every two hours.
  • Ensure that children are adequately protected, because their
    skin is more delicate and prone to sunburn.

 

Nick Mortimer, Superintendent
Pharmacist at
Lloydspharmacy said: “It is an established fact that excessive exposure
to the sun will damage your skin, prematurely age it and double your
risk of developing skin cancer later in life. When you or your family
plan to spend time outside over the summer, you should always protect
your skin. That’s why Lloydspharmacy is supporting the ‘Sun Safety –
Don’t Get Caught Out’ campaign – to encourage everybody to wear high
factor sun lotion while they are out enjoying
themselves.”

* Cancer Research
UK

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/incidence/commoncancers/

 

**Cancer
Research UK,
UK Mortality,
2005

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/melanoma/mortality/