Our study further defines melanoma risk in post-menopausal women and, it is hoped, will sensitize the medical community to this risk, serving as a catalyst for development of new routines of follow-up and patient assessment to facilitate earlier detection of melanoma.

This study adds a history of the relatively favorable non-melanoma skin cancer -- in and of itself -- to the list of known risk factors for melanoma in both sun lovers and shade dwellers alike.

There's been at least one study that's shown an increased risk of miscarriage in women who drink moderate amounts of caffeine, and that's only 1 1/2 to 2 cups a day.

For women who have this condition and are at an extremely high risk for two gynecological cancers, this study provides a positive finding. We now have definitive evidence for doing something proactively that will prevent women with Lynch syndrome from ever getting either endometrial, or ovarian cancers, or even both.

Regular skin checkups to reduce the incidence of this deadly skin cancer must focus on those at high risk. Diagnosing melanoma early is critical to saving lives.

This skin surveillance imperative may serve to be lifesaving in predisposed women.