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Senior People Above 60 Must Not Underestimate Melanoma Risk

by Savitha C Muppala on Aug 9 2011 11:58 PM

 Senior People Above 60 Must Not Underestimate Melanoma Risk
University of Otago study has revealed that New Zealanders above 60 years play down the risk of life threatening skin cancer, melanoma. 
 
This news comes in the wake of increasing numbers of both middle-aged and senior people getting diagnosed with melanoma. 
Lead researcher Dr Mary Jane Sneyd, from the University of Otago's Hugh Adam Cancer Epidemiology Unit, said, "What we found is that in general, people are estimating their risk reasonably well on the basis of their phenotype, such as that if you are fair or red haired, and blue eyed you have a greater risk, and if you have dark hair, darker skin colour and dark eyes you have a lower risk. But, as people got older, they saw themselves as having lower risk of melanoma and yet the risk of melanoma goes up greatly with age - as with most cancers." 

58.8% of melanoma was diagnosed among those over 60 as against only 2.4% among people below 30 years.



Source-Medindia


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