Variations in the Melanocortin-1 Receptor Gene. One study found that the greater the number of variations from normal in a gene called the melanocortin-1 receptor gene, the greater the risk for melanoma. The gene plays an important role in determining if a person has red hair, fair skin, and sensitivity to UV radiation. Interestingly, people who had olive and darker skin and who carried one or more variations of the gene had a higher than average risk for melanoma.
Aging
Aging may weaken the body's ability to fend off impending cancers, including melanomas. As a person ages, they lose specialized immune cells in the skin (Langerhans cells) that are thought to be responsible for eliminating skin cancers at the very earliest stage when only one or two cancer cells are present. The number of these immune cells decreases with age, possibly setting the stage for skin cancers to take root and thrive in later life.
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