Single men may have a higher risk of death from melanoma, the skin cancer, compared with men who live with their partners, a new research from Sweden finds.

Researchers looked at data on more than 27,000 people diagnosed with melanoma in Sweden between 1990 and 2007, and examined their risk of dying in relation to their cohabitation status at the time of diagnosis, Fox News reported.

Of about 13,400 men with melanoma, about 2,400, or 17 percent, died during the study period.

The researchers found that among men with melanoma, those living alone were 30 to 50 percent more likely to die from melanoma compared with those living with a partner at the time of their diagnosis.

The results were similar in men of all ages, regardless of their level of education and place of residence, said study researcher Dr. Hanna Eriksson, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in the skin's pigment-producing cells. It is the least-common type of skin cancer, but one of the most dangerous if it's not caught early, when it's small and curable.