Grant: Cat Gr: Disease Prev./Risk Factor Mod.- Non-communicable diseases for Indigenous

Melanoma's incidence in Canada is growing at an alarming rate. While recent studies improved the treatment of advanced melanomas, few efforts have addressed the public health implications of the rising burden of this cancer in Canada. Despite the rapid rise in incidence, only limited resources were devoted to target public awareness of melanoma, when compared to the United States or Australia. In a series of our Canadian studies we documented that the rates of increase for melanoma incidence and mortality are much higher in men than in women. Furthermore, we found that in men, melanoma primarily developed on the head/trunk, while in women melanomas appeared on the arms and legs. Finally, we have identified specific regions in Canada with >2-fold higher incidence of melanoma. Our combined research highlights that populations in certain parts of Canada due to a variety of factors are at a higher risk of developing melanoma. Importantly, targeting disease awareness and patient education in men vs. women should be done differently since sun exposure practices and affected body areas differ between genders. Also, it is not known whether existing campaigns in other countries such as Australia might be applicable in Canada. It has not been studied how these campaigns should be implemented in our country considering our cultural and geographic diversity. In the proposed research with the focus on young adults (ages 18-30) we will study why certain communities may have higher incidence of this cancer than others; what types of melanoma prevention programs may be culturally sensitive and effective in the First Nations communities. We will use existing data nationally on precipitation, solar radiation, shade availability, tree canopy density, etc. to correlate important environmental risk factors with the geographic distribution of melanoma. We will use focus groups to develop gender and region-specific recommendations to help change sun exposure practices.