Insights – Melanoma death rates far higher in men

Death rates from malignant melanoma are some 70% higher in men than women, despite similar numbers being diagnosed with the disease each year, according to research conducted by Cancer Research UK and the University of Leeds. Incidence rates for malignant melanoma are similar in both sexes, with 17.2 men per 100,000 diagnosed compared with 17.3 women. But mortality rates differ signicantly, at 3.4 per 100,000 (1,300 deaths per year) among men, compared with 2.0 per 100,000 (900 deaths per year) in women. Separate research has suggested the difference between the sexes could be in part because men tend to be