2008 Skin Cancer Fact Sheet

  • More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year.1

  • Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common forms of skin cancer, but are easily treated if detected early.1

  • Current estimates are that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.2

  • Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old.3

  • Melanoma is increasing faster in females 15-29 years old than males in the same age group. In females 15-29 years old, the torso is the most common location for developing melanoma which may be due to high-risk tanning behaviors.33

  • Melanoma in individuals 10-39 years old is highly curable with five-year survival rates exceeding 90 percent.3


  • 1 in 58 men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime. Caucasians and men over 50 years of age are at a higher risk of developing melanoma than the general population.4

  • It is estimated that there will be about 116,500 new cases of melanoma in 2008 — 54,020 noninvasive (in situ) and 62,480 invasive (34,950 men and 27,530 women).1

  • One American dies of melanoma almost every hour (every 62 minutes). In 2008, 8,420 deaths will be attributed to melanoma — 5,400 men and 3,020 women.1

  • The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 65,161 people a year worldwide die from too much sun, mostly from malignant skin cancer.5

  • More than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.1

  • The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 99 percent.1

  • In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer was $1.5 billion.6

  • The American Cancer Society recommends periodic skin examination as part of any cancer related check-up depending on a person's age and gender.1

  • Individuals with a history of melanoma should have a full body exam at least annually and perform regular self-exams for new and changing moles.7

  • Five-year survival rates for regional and distant stage melanomas are 65% and 15%, respectively.1

1 American Cancer Society. 2008 Cancer Facts and Figures.

   http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/2008CAFFfinalsecured.pdf.
2 Robinson JK. Sun Exposure, Sun Protection, and Vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294: 1541-43.
3 Cancer Epidemiology in Older Adolescents & Young Adults, SEER AYA Monograph Pages 53-57. 2007.
4 Melanoma of the Skin, Cancer Fact Sheets, National Cancer Institute, SEER database, 2007. http://seer.cancer.gov.
5 World Health Organization, Solar ultraviolet radiation: Global burden of disease from solar ultraviolet radiation. Environmental Burden of Disease Series, N.13. 2006.

6 Bickers DR, Lim HW, Margolis D et al. The burden of skin diseases: 2004 a joint project of the American Academy of  Dermatology Association and the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2006; 55: 490-500.

7 Berg A. Screening for skin cancer. US Preventive Services Task Force 2007.