Skin cancer deaths rates soar

PARIS: Skin cancer deaths among men have soared in wealthy nations since 1985, with mortality rates among women rising more slowly or even declining, researchers told a medical conference in Glasgow on Sunday.

Reasons for the discrepancy between sexes are unclear but evidence suggests men are "less likely to protect themselves from the sun" or heed public health warnings, lead researcher Dorothy Yang, a doctor at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in London, told AFP.

More than 90 percent of melanoma cancers are caused by skin cell damage from exposure to the sun or other sources of ultraviolet (UV) radiation such as tanning beds, according to the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

In eight of 18 countries examined, men’s skin cancer death rates increased over three decades by at least 50 percent. Also seeing a sharp jump were Spain and Britain (70 percent), The Netherlands (60 percent), as well as France and Belgium (50 percent). In the United States, which was not included in the study, male melanoma mortality went up by about 25 percent, according to CDC statistics.