• Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common forms of skin cancer, but are easily treated if detected early.²
• The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 98 percent.²
• Five-year survival rates for regional and distant stage melanomas are 62 percent and 15 percent, respectively.²

Mortality rates

• Approximately 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.²  
• On average, one American dies from melanoma every hour. In 2012, it is estimated that 9,180 deaths would be attributed to melanoma — 6,060 men and 3,120 women.²
• An estimated 3,010 deaths from other skin cancers will occur in the United States in 2012.²
• The World Health Organization estimates that more than 65,000 people a year worldwide die from melanoma.¹¹

Risk factors

• The major risk factor for melanoma of the skin is exposure to ultraviolet light.²
  • In 2010, new research found that daily sunscreen use cut the incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, in half.¹²   
• Increasing intermittent sun exposure in childhood and during one’s lifetime is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma.¹³
• Exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of melanoma, especially in women aged 45 years or younger.¹⁴
  • In females 15-29 years old, the torso/trunk is the most common location for developing melanoma, which may be due to high-risk tanning behaviors.^8,9
• People with more than 50 moles, atypical moles, light skin, freckles or a family history of melanoma are at an increased risk of developing melanoma.²
• Melanoma survivors have an approximately nine-fold increased risk of developing another melanoma compared to the general population.¹⁵

Prevention and detection

• Because exposure to ultraviolet light is the most preventable risk factor for all skin cancers², the American Academy of Dermatology encourages everyone to protect their skin by applying sunscreen, seeking shade and wearing protective clothing.
• Warning signs of melanoma include changes in size, shape, or color of a mole or other skin lesion, or the appearance of a new growth on the skin.²
• Individuals with a history of melanoma should have a full-body exam by a board-certified dermatologist at least annually and perform regular self-exams for new and changing moles.¹⁶

Cost

• In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer was $1.5 billion in the United States.¹⁷
• According to the National Cancer Institute, the estimated total direct cost associated with the treatment of melanoma in 2010 was $2.36 billion in the United States.¹⁸  

Learn more about skin cancer:
Dermatology A to Z: Basal cell carcinoma
Dermatology A to Z: Melanoma 
Dermatology A to Z: Squamous cell carcinoma
Skin cancer detection 
Skin cancer prevention 

¹Rogers, HW, Weinstock, MA, Harris, AR, et al. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States, 2006. Arch Dermatol 2010; 146(3):283-287.
²American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2012. http://www.cancer.org/Research/CancerFactsFigures/ACSPC-031941
³Stern RS. Prevalence of a history of skin cancer in 2007: results of an incidence-based model. Arch Dermatol. 2010 Mar;146(3):279-82.
⁴Robinson JK. Sun Exposure, Sun Protection, and Vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294: 1541-43.
⁵Rigel DS, Russak J, Friedman R. The evolution of melanoma diagnosis: 25 years beyond the ABCDs. CA Cancer J Clin. 2010 Sep-Oct;60(5):301-16.
⁶Melanoma of the Skin, Cancer Fact Sheets, National Cancer Institute, SEER database, 2007. http://seer.cancer.gov.
⁷Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2008, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2009_pops09/, based on November 2010 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, 2011.
⁸Cancer Epidemiology in Older Adolescents & Young Adults. SEER AYA Monograph Pages 53-57. 2007.
⁹Linos E, Swetter S, Cockburn MG, Colditz GA, Clarke CA. Increasing burden of melanoma in the United States. J Invest Derm. 8 January 2009 doi:10.1038/jid.2008.423.  
¹⁰Christenson, LJ, Borrowman, TA, Vachon, CM, et al. Incidence of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas in a population younger than 40 years. JAMA 2005 Aug 10; 294(6): 681-90
¹¹World Health Organization, Solar ultraviolet radiation:  Global burden of disease from solar ultraviolet radiation. Environmental Burden of Disease Series, N.13. 2006.
¹²Green AC, Williams GM, Logan V, Strutton GM. Reduced melanoma after regular sunscreen use: randomized trial follow-up J Clin Oncol Jan 20, 2011:257-263; published online on December 6, 2010.
¹³Lin JS, Eder M, Weinmann S. Behavioral counseling to prevent skin cancer: asystematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med.2011 Feb 1;154(3):190-201. Review.
¹⁴Ting W, Schultz K, Cac NN, Peterson M, Walling HW. Tanning bed exposure increases the risk of malignant melanoma. Int J Dermatol. 2007 Dec;46(12):1253-7.
¹⁵Bradford PT, Freedman DM, Goldstein AM, Tucker MA. Increased risk of second primary cancers after a diagnosis of melanoma. Arch Dermatol. 2010 Mar;146(3):265-72.
¹⁶Berg A. Screening for skin cancer. US Preventive Services Task Force, 2007.
¹⁷Bickers 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.
¹⁸"The Cost of Cancer." National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. 2011.  http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/servingpeople/cancer-statistics/costofcancer. (last accessed 26 Aug. 2011).