Health scare of the week: Skin cancer is a warning sign

A bout with skin cancer greatly increases a person’s risk of developing other cancers, says the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. After being treated for a nonmelanoma-type skin cancer, the risk for other bodily tumors increases by 57 percent, says a British study of more than 20,000 people. If the skin cancer is of the more serious, melanoma class, researchers found, the risk increases by a full 100 percent. The most likely explanation, the study’s authors say, is that people who get skin cancer have a general genetic susceptibility to cancer. They also may be inclined to engage in cancer-causing activities, including frequent sun exposure, smoking, and eating a lot of fatty, fried foods.

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