Turning a brighter light on skin cancer

But as the latest cancer report for the Channel Islands shows, there are many factors at play besides blind luck.

Experts believe that as many as 4 in 10 cancer cases are preventable.

The comparison of data from Guernsey, Jersey, England as a whole and the South-West is a treasure trove of statistics which show how each place performs both in terms of number of incidents of cancer and mortality rate.

On the whole, the Bailiwick of Guernsey does quite well. Looked at across 21 different cancers the islands are broadly in line with – and in some cases lower than – the other jurisdictions.

We do, for example, slightly better than England when it comes to rates of leukaemia and upper gastro-intestinal cancers and better than Jersey for all-cause cancers and head and neck cancers.

Well-established and effective screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancers are helping to detect cancers early and increase the chance of successful treatment.

All the statistics could be improved, however, and Health & Social Care is making that a key priority.

That includes efforts to cut smoking and drinking, encourage healthy eating and exercise and, overall, focus on the five leading behavioural and dietary risks of cancer.

Which leaves the main blemish on the island’s record: skin cancer.

In the five years up to 2016 – unfortunately the data is running a few years behind – Guernsey registered an annual average of more than 700 malignant tumours of all kinds.

Of those, almost half are for non-melanoma skin cancers.

Adjusted for age, the rate per 100,000 people of such cancers in Guernsey dwarfs that in the South-West (714 to 387).

This is not just luck. The answer lies in finding ways to enjoy our sunny island safely and avoiding harmful exposure to UV light.

That does not mean avoiding the beach but covering up in the heat of the day, seeking the shade, not getting sunburn and frequent applications of an effective sun screen.