Analysis: Women With Melanoma Appear To Have 30% Survival Advantage.

According to a recent post from The American Academy of Dermatology, Dermatology Daily, a recent study shows the following for women who received a melanoma diagnosis:

Reuters (5/2, Grens) reports that according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women who receive a melanoma diagnosis appear to have an increased likelihood of surviving it as well as a decreased likelihood for recurrence, compared to men, according to an analysis published online April 30 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“By almost every measure, an analysis of four European studies found that women can expect a 30 percent better outcome than men following an early stage melanoma diagnosis,” HealthDay (5/2, Mozes) reports. “The sole exception was seen in cases of head and neck melanomas, where the gender differences disappeared.” Still, based on the study’s overall findings, the authors hypothesized that “gender differences with respect to vitamin D metabolism, immune system function, male testosterone levels and what is known as ‘oxidative stress’ in the body” may all play a role in explaining the gender gap in melanoma patients.