• April 26, 2024

In our country, the incidence of skin cancer has increased up to 20%, occupies the second place in frequency in our country: the first in the case of men and the second with respect to women, according to the Dr. Minerva Gómez, President of the Mexican Dermatology Foundation (FMD) .

Although a similar number of cases is diagnosed for men and women each year, 17.2 and 17.3 per 100 thousand diagnosed, skin cancer causes a greater number of male deaths worldwide.

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It is 70% more fatal for men

According to a study of Julia Newton-Bishop, dermatologist at Cancer Research UK and lecturer at the University of Leeds , men are 70% more likely to die of malignant melanoma - the most serious type of skin cancer - compared to women.

"This means that of the 6,200 men who develop melanoma each year, 1,300 die from skin cancer, compared to 900 of the 6,600 women," says the researcher.

In her study she details that since the beginning of the 1970s, mortality rates in men have increased by 185%, compared to 55% in women.

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Gender differences in skin cancer

Sara Hiom, director of early diagnosis of Cancer Research UK , explains that the key risk factors for melanoma include excessive exposure to UV rays from the sun or sunbeds, a lighter skin color and higher number of moles, as well as a personal or family history of the disease.

However, it considers that one of the main factors that makes skin cancer (melanoma) more fatal for men is late or advanced diagnosis, because the culture of prevention, knowledge of the subject and periodicity of medical check-ups , they are much smaller compared to women.

Another factor to consider, according to the specialist, are the most frequent areas in which they tend to develop melanoma, such as the back and chest, which are not always visible, compared to those of women, which are the arms and legs. "The best recommendation is to know your own skin, go to periodic reviews and not expose yourself too much to the sun."

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