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Skin cancer ignorance behind increase in deaths

Male skin cancer deaths in the UK have topped 1,000 a year for the first time as a survey suggests that men don't know the warning signs.

Over the last decade there has been a 31% increase in the number of male deaths from melanoma, which kills around 1,800 people in the UK each year.

A new survey of around 2,000 men found that almost 60% never check their backs - where skin cancer often occurs - to see if existing moles have changed or if new ones have appeared. The under 24s and over 65s were the worst culprits, being the least likely to visit a doctor if they notice any changes in moles.

Although fewer men than women are diagnosed with malignant melanoma - the potentially fatal form of skin cancer - more men actually die from it. And research suggests this is largely due to the cancer not being diagnosed until a more advanced stage.

 

  Last Updated: 15 June 2006