Irish women more prone to melanoma than most in EU
A new study shows that the incidence of invasive melanoma for women in Ireland is the fourth highest of 26 countries tested. The incidence of men in Ireland contracting melanoma is not as great but, at eighth, is still way above the European average.
Affected people of both sexes are also more likely to survive in the North than in the south, a survey compiled by the National Cancer Registry shows.
Melanoma is the ninth most common cancer in Ireland, accounting for 2.4% of all malignant growths in men and 4.2% in women, if non-melanoma skin cancers are excluded. Each year, approximately 162 men and 266 women are diagnosed with melanoma in Ireland.
The average age of someone being diagnosed with melanoma is younger than for most other cancers. In the majority of cases studied, 69% of men and women were under 70 at the time of diagnosis while 32% of men and 35% of women were aged under 50. However, there was also a substantial proportion aged 80 and over.
The study shows the incidence of invasive melanoma, for men and women, is highest in Scandinavia and lowest in southeastern Europe.
However, the survival rate is surprisingly high, according to the study. Overall survival for cases of invasive melanoma diagnosed from 1994 to 2008 was 88% for women five years after diagnosis, and 79% for men.
The death rates for women with melanoma in Ireland between the years 2001-2005 was 11th highest among European countries while male mortality was 20th. Male mortality was higher than female throughout Europe.
The study shows: “The much lower mortality and better survival for melanoma in Northern Ireland compared to Ireland is striking.”
The survey follows another study conducted by the NCR which shows that non-melanoma skin cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer world-wide, is more marked among those living in Dublin and Cork and some coastal counties.
Three parts of the coast — Kerry, Mayo and Donegal — were also identified in the study of skin cancer in Ireland by the Registry and published by the British Journal of Dermatology.
