Skin cancers are extremely common, with more than 75 000 new cases registered each year in the UK. There are two main types of skin cancer: malignant melanoma of the skin and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). In the UK, about 9000 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year. About 3 out of every 100 cancers diagnosed (3%) are melanomas. Although not one of the very commonest cancers, melanoma is important because it is easily curable if picked up early. The main cause of melanoma is UV radiation from the Sun.

There are five activities in this unit. They have been written to follow sequentially.

In the first activity students learn about melanoma and analyse data on the age-related and sex-related incidence of melanoma. In the second activity students learn about the UV index forecasts produced by the Met Office and the factors that affect the strength of the UV radiation on Earth. They learn about the six different skin types and assess the risk of sunburn at different locations. In an optional market survey activity students collect and analyse data on the different types of sun protection available. This activity could be set as homework or as research using the Internet. The ‘Effectiveness of sun protection lotions’ activity is a optional practical investigation to compare the effectiveness of different sun lotions. ‘Plenary’ is a summary exercise and could be set for homework or as a cover lesson at the end of the topic. It could also be used as a starter activity for research.