Summit County Health Director Phil Bondurant says there are 60 melanoma cases per 100,000 people in Summit County. The county’s population is about 43,000.
Statewide, an average of 42 per 100,000 Utahns are diagnosed with melanoma yearly, compared to 22 per 100,000 elsewhere in the United States.
“In Summit County, the greatest risk—based on the data that we have available—is those males 65-plus, where we see an alarming rate of 230 cases per 100,000,” Bondurant said. “That is two-and-a-half times greater the risk than the women of that same age group.”
Melanoma is just one of many different types of skin cancer. It starts in the melanocytes, the cells that give skin its pigment.
“It is the most concerning [type of skin cancer] and with the most severe outcomes,” Bondurant said.
He attributes Utah’s high rates of melanoma to sunburns, tanning and elevation exposure. A family history of melanoma increases risk, too.
The Skin Cancer Foundation is hosting free screenings at the Summit County Health Department offices in Quinn’s Junction at 650 Round Valley Drive.
The screenings are June 14, 15 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
No appointment or insurance is needed. Physicians who speak English and Spanish are available.
