Number of men dying from skin cancer doubles
Monday, May 31st, 2010
New figures released by Cancer Research UK show that the number of men dying from malignant melanoma skin cancer have doubled in the last 30 years.
Back in the late 1970s, less than 400 men a year died from malignant melanoma, but now the rates have risen and over 1,100 men are dying from the disease each year. The death rates in men over 65 years of age have risen particularly, going from 4.5 per 100,000 to 15.2 per 100,000.
Many of these deaths and instances of skin cancer could be prevented if men paid more attention to sun safety issues.
Caroline Cerny, manager of Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart, says, “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, cover up with a shirt and hat and even visit the doctor about a worrying mole.”
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