Only a small proportion of elite swimmers regularly checked their skin for signs of cancer despite being at increased risk, according to University of Queensland research. Forty-four South East Queensland athletes and 23 support staff took part in a pilot study conducted by the Frazer Institute's Professor H. Peter Soyer and Professor Monika Janda from the Centre for Health Services Research.
Professor Soyer said three athletes who took part in the study reported a previous history of melanoma , while 61 per cent of athletes and 96 per cent of support staff had experienced one or more severe sunburns. Worryingly, 16 per cent of the athletes and 22 per cent of support staff reported being severely sunburnt 50 or more times. During training and competitions, athletes and support staff are exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) for long periods of time, and this is important as UVR exposure is thought to cause 95 per cent of all skin cancers.
Although training is in the early morning and late afternoon, there is still significant sun exposure as we witnessed clear tanning lines in many of the athletes. The most frequently used sun protection methods for the swimmers were sunscreen and limiting time outdoors, while staff relied more frequently on sunglasses and hats." Professor H.
Peter Soyer, Frazer Institute The study also asked participants to self-report their melanoma risk, on a scale from 0 (much below average) to 5 (much above average). "The average melanoma.