Malignant melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and incidence rates have risen dramatically since the 1970s.

People in their 60s and 70s have seen the biggest increase over the last three decades, from seven cases per 100,000 people in the mid 1970s to 36 cases per 100,000 in 2004/06.

More than 10,400 cases of malignant melanoma are diagnosed each year in the UK.

Cancer Research UK, which released the analysis, said older people now experiencing skin cancer would have been enjoying cheap package holidays in the 1970s. This was when “sunburn before suntan was a common ritual” and was when sunbeds arrived in the UK, the charity said.

The most dramatic rise in malignant melanoma has been among men in their 60s and 70s. They are now more than seven times as likely to be diagnosed with the disease as in the 1970s.

Launching the 2010 SunSmart campaign for Cancer Research UK, Caroline Cerny said: “A change in the culture of tanning including the explosion of cheap package holidays and the introduction of sunbeds in the 70s means we're now seeing alarming rates of melanoma for an entire age group. The battle against melanoma is far from won. Today the problem threatens to get worse as teenagers continue to crave a tan on the beach and top it up cheaply on sunbeds.

(Belfast Telegraph)

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