Non-medical implications of malignant melanoma

Insurance and mortgage companies continue to regard melanoma in a rigid and perhaps flawed way, with detrimental effect to patients' financial standing. We questioned 100 consecutive patients coming to our clinic between the ages of 20 and 50, and asked if they had had problems obtaining life insurance, mortgages etc, since they were diagnosed. A substantial proportion of patients in the younger age groups had problems with mortgage and insurance applications.