Ohio State University researchers say that sex-difference may determine skin cancer risk. Researchers who conducted a study on mice found that male mice developed tumors earlier and had more tumors than did female mice.

"We found that males actually got tumors about two weeks earlier than the females, and the tumors they did get were larger. There were more of them," said Tatiana Oberyszyn, an OSU researcher.

In a study published in the journal Cancer Research, the researchers also reveal female mice have four times as many cancer-fighting antioxidants in their skin as males.

"If you think of antioxidants as a protective force, then males have a lot less ammunition to protect themselves," Tatiana said in a press release.

According to a survey, squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common skin cancer after basal cell. There are about 200,000 new cases in the United States every year.