More men die of skin cancer compared to women

According to recent studies, skin cancer death rate is 70per cent higher among men.

11:57 22 August 2013

A recent study conducted by Cancer Research UK said that there are about 1,300 men who die from malignant melanoma every year. The same disease kills about 900 women annually. Experts said that the gap between genders is expected to widen.

Prof Julia Newton-Bishop, a Cancer Research UK dermatologist, offered explanation on the widening gap between genders. She said that men, when diagnosed with the killer skin cancer, it is usually at a more advanced stage.

She added: "But there also seem to be strong biological reasons behind the differences, and we're working on research to better understand why men and women's bodies deal with their melanomas in different ways.

"Stage for stage, men do less well with this cancer so there's something very important that this is telling us about how the body deals it.

"We think it is something to do with the immune system rather than hormones because pre- and post-menopausal fare the same."

Prof Newton-Bishop added that late diagnosis also plays a crucial role. Skin cancer in men usually starts on their backs making it more difficult for them to spot.