Study finds melanoma risk factors

Even if you are not a sun worshipper, your risk for melanoma could still be high.

A new study finds a possible link between the deadly skin cancer, and a specific gene variation that makes pre-menopausal women four times more likely to get melanoma.

"We think that the reason we saw this in women under 50 is that because this variant is known to interact with estrogen in a sense, that estrogen activates this gene." Dr. David Polsky of NYU Langone Medical Center.

Researchers say it could eventually provide doctors and patients with earlier detection than the more tell-tale signs of freckles, blisters and sun damage history.

"Down the road it could mean that we would have a test that we could offer to patients,"

But the results are not definitive enough for people to stop self-checks.

"Certainly still screening themselves and knowing the risks of melanoma are the risks are clinically the most important thing," said Michel Alice McDonald, M.D. / Dermatologist / Vanderbilt University

And men do not have a free pass either when it comes to being diligent. A man's risk for melanoma increases significantly after the age of 50.

Dermatologists say both men and women need to use sunscreen daily, and learn about their medical risks before exposing themselves to more than just fun in the sun.

Researchers say when estrogen levels drop, usually in women over 50, the increased risk also begins to go down in people who have this recurring gene.

The study appears in the April issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.