Benign skin cancer linked to increased risk for more serious cancers

Charleston, S.C.

- New research shows people who develop nonmelanoma skin cancers have an increased risk for developing other malignancies in the body, according to a study published in the

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

.

A team of researchers looked at data from a 16-year study involving 19,174 participants, 769 with nonmelanoma skin cancer and 18,405 who were cancer-free, Health News reports. They found that individuals aged 25 to 44 who suffered from nonmelanoma skin cancer were 2.6 times more likely to develop other types of cancer later in life. The younger a person developed nonmelanoma skin cancer, the more likely they will develop other cancers, researchers say.