Melanoma Has a Soft Corner for Women Compared to Men

Obese Men Might be More Receptive to Melanoma

Women are always concerned about their appearance compared to men. Of course, nowadays we see more men in salons compared to yesteryears, but the ratio is still higher in the case of women. This concern makes a woman approach a doctor immediately if she notices any changes or rashes in the skin.  Women are better protected than men against a deadly form of skin cancer called melanoma that develops from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.

Few reasons that contribute to the cause of more men being affected by this cancer than women include:

1. Exposure to sun’s radiations are the main cause of melanoma and since ages men have been working outdoors comparatively. This makes them susceptible to radiations from the sun for prolonged periods.
2. Men have minimal chances of getting themselves examined for the sake of any bruise/cut in the skin.
3. Also, female sex hormones, estrogen, control skin pigmentation which is lacking in the case of men.
   
   

Studies have found that pregnancy prevents the development of melanoma and to verify whether female sex hormones had a drastic effect on melanocytes researchers conducted another study. They discovered that estrogen caused pigmentation of melanocytes, but progesterone did not. Further, estrogen suppressed the growth of melanoma cells. They applied the same logic to this deadly cancer. Researchers felt that female have better outcomes comparatively due to the increased immune response against melanoma by estrogen hormone. For more information on melanoma and its role in affecting both, men and women, please visit the website https://elifesciences.org/.

The question here is whether men can also benefit from the effect of estrogen? While there are already few evidences that support the fact that estrogen might benefit men with melanoma, studies show that obese men with melanoma have better response and survival rate to therapy than those with a normal body mass index. This might be because fat tissue produces estrogen and obese men have increased estrogen levels in their blood. But, the same effect was not seen in the case of obese women, suggesting a hormonal link.
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Hence, estrogen and G-protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER)-activating drugs might play a pivotal role in improving outcomes in melanoma patients. When these drugs are used along with existing treatment options, they might make immunotherapies even more effective in patients.