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Skin cancer

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Incidence rates
  • More than 3.5 million skin cancers in more than 2 million people are diagnosed in the United States annually.1
    • It is estimated that there will be about 137,990 new cases of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, in 2013— 61,300 noninvasive (in situ) and 76,690 invasive (45,060 men and 31,630 women).2
  • Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.3,4
  • By 2015, it is estimated that one in 50 Americans will develop melanoma in their lifetime.5
  • Melanoma incidence rates have been increasing for at least 30 years. 
    • The incidence rate of melanoma has increased by about 2.8 percent per year since 1981 (1981-2008).6
  • Caucasians and men older than 50 are at a higher risk of developing melanoma than the general population.6  
    • The incidence in men ages 80 and older is three times higher than women of the same age.2
    • Melanoma incidence rates in Caucasians are five times higher than in Hispanics and 23 times higher than in African Americans.2
  • Although before age 40, melanoma incidence rates are twice as high in women than in men, after 40, rates are higher in men than in women.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.7
    • Melanoma is increasing faster in females 15-29 years old than males in the same age group.8,9 
    • Melanoma in Caucasian women under the age of 44 has increased 6.1 percent annually, which may reflect recent trends in indoor tanning.6
  • A 2005 study found that basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are increasing in men and women under 40. In the study, basal cell carcinoma increased faster in young women than in young men.10 
Survival rates

  • Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common forms of skin cancer, but are easily treated if detected early.2
  • Both basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas have cure rates approaching 95 percent if detected early and treated promptly.11
  • 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
  • About 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.2  
  • On average, one American dies from melanoma every hour. In 2013, it is estimated that 9,480 deaths would be attributed to melanoma — 6,280 men and 3,200 women.2
  • An estimated 3,070 deaths from other skin cancers will occur in the United States in 2013.2
  • The World Health Organization estimates that more than 65,000 people a year worldwide die from melanoma.12
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.13   
  • 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.14
  • Exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of melanoma, especially in women aged 45 years or younger.15
    • 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, a history of sunburn, or a family history of melanoma are at an increased risk of developing melanoma.2,16
  • Melanoma survivors have an approximately nine-fold increased risk of developing another melanoma compared to the general population.17
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.18
Cost
  • In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer was $1.5 billion in the United States.19
  • 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.20  
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 2013. http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsfigures/cancerfactsfigures/cancer-facts-figures-2013
 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.
6Little EG, Eide MJ. Update on the current state of melanoma incidence. Dermatol Clin. 2012:30(3):355-61
7Melanoma of the Skin, Cancer Fact Sheets, National Cancer Institute, SEER database, 2007. http://seer.cancer.gov
8Howlader 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. 
9Cancer Epidemiology in Older Adolescents & Young Adults. SEER AYA Monograph Pages 53-57. 2007.  
10Linos 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.  
11Christenson, 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
12Neville JA, Welch E, Leffell DJ. Management of nonmelanoma skin cancer in 2007. Nat Clin Pract Oncol 2007; 4(8):462-9.  
13World Health Organization, Solar ultraviolet radiation:  Global burden of disease from solar ultraviolet radiation. Environmental Burden of Disease Series, N.13. 2006.
14Green 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.
15Lin 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.
16Ting 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. 
17Gandini S, Sera F, Cattaruzza MS, Pasquini P, Picconi O, Boyle P, Melchi CF. Meta-analysis of risk factors for cutaneous melanoma: II. Sun exposure. Eur J Cancer. 2005 Jan;41(1):45-60.
18Bradford 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.
19Berg A. Screening for skin cancer. US Preventive Services Task Force, 2007.
20Bickers 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.
21"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). 

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