Deadliest skin cancer claims twice as many men's lives than in 70s

Published on Sunday 30 May 2010 23:02

DEATH rates among men suffering from the most deadly form of skin cancer have doubled in the past 30 years, campaigners have warned.

Charity Cancer Research UK said that too many men were leaving it up to their partners or mothers to remind them to use protection against the sun to help avoid skin cancer.

They warned that incidence rates of malignant melanoma have risen dramatically among both sexes since the 1970s. But more men are dying from the disease, with new figures revealing the devastating toll.

In the late 1970s, fewer than 400 (1.5 per 100,000) men died from the condition, but that figure is now more than 1,100 (3.1 per 100,000). Among the over-65s, death rates among men have risen from 4.5 per 100,000 to 15.2 per 100,000 in the same period.

Meanwhile, death rates for women of all ages have risen more slowly, from 1.5 to 2.2 per 100,000, despite more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. In April, data showed people in their 60s and 70s were about five times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma than their parents 30 years ago.

Many older people now experiencing skin cancer would have been enjoying cheap package holidays in the 1970s.

The most recent figures for Scotland show that in 2007, there were 1,085 cases of malignant melanoma – 453 in men and 632 in women. Around 160 people in Scotland die from the disease each year.

Caroline Cerny, Cancer Research UK's SunSmart manager, said their research showed a worryingly high number of men were dying unnecessarily from malignant melanoma, with a rapidly rising numbers diagnosed with the disease.

"Preventing the disease developing in the first place will help stop this trend and save lives," she said. "To curb this huge rise in deaths from malignant melanoma it's more important than ever that people are aware of the dangers of too much sun.

"Too often, men leave it up to their partners or mothers to remind them to use sunscreen or cover up with a shirt and hat, and even to visit the doctor about a worrying mole.

"And even though more women are diagnosed with the disease, more men die from it. This suggests that men are either not aware of skin cancer symptoms or are ignoring them and putting off going to see their GP."

More than 10,400 cases of the deadly cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Sun exposure is a major risk factor for skin cancers, including malignant melanoma, and we would encourage everyone to take appropriate precautions when they're out in the sun."