Brit men's skin cancer death rates double in 30 years

London, May 31 (ANI): In the wake of a boom in package holidays industry, the deaths due to skin cancer among men have increased, as they do not always remember to take precautions when out in the sun while travelling, according to a new report.

In fact, in the last 30 years the death rates among men due to skin cancer have doubled. Also, rates of malignant melanoma are increasing for both sexes, but rates for men are increasing faster.

Retired men, who presumably making trips on package holidays in the 1960s and 1970s, are the most potential victims.

Cancer Research UK has come up with figures pointing that in the late 1970s, fewer than 400 men or 1.5 per 100,000 died from the disease but now the number is greater than 1,100 or 3.1 per 100,000.

Among the over-65s, death rates among men have risen from 4.5 per 100,000 to 15.2 per 100,000 in the same period.

Meanwhile, death rates for women of all ages have risen more slowly from 1.5 per 100,000 to 2.2 per 100,000.

"These figures show that a worryingly high number of men are dying unnecessarily from malignant melanoma because of the rapidly rising numbers diagnosed with the disease," the Telegraph quoted Caroline Cerny, Cancer Research UK's SunSmart manager, as saying.

She added: "Preventing the disease developing in the first place will help stop this trend and save lives.

"To curb this huge rise in deaths from malignant melanoma it's more important than ever that people are aware of the dangers of too much sun.

"Too often men leave it up to their partners or mothers to remind them to use sunscreen or cover up with a shirt and hat and even to visit the doctor about a worrying mole.

"And even though more women are diagnosed with the disease, more men die from it.

"This suggests that men are either not aware of skin cancer symptoms or are ignoring them and putting off going to see their GP."

The Government's care services minister, Paul Burstow, said: "The rise in skin cancer deaths among men is worrying and highlights how important it is for everyone to protect themselves from overexposure to sun.

"Seeing many people with sunburn from the recent sunny weather is a reminder of how easy it is to damage your skin.

"We should all keep a careful eye on our skin. Shrugging off any changes in a mole's appearance could put your life at risk."

More than 10,400 skin cancer cases are diagnosed every year in the UK. (ANI)