• More than 3.5 million skin cancers in more than 2 million people are diagnosed annually.¹
• Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common forms of skin cancer, but both are easily treated if detected early.² A recent 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.³
• Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.^4,5
• Melanoma incidence rates have been increasing for at least 30 years. In the most recent time period, rapid increases have occurred among young, white women (3 percent per year since 1992 in those ages 15 to 39) and white adults 65 years and older (5.1 percent per year since 1985 in men and 4.1 percent per year since 1975 in women).^2,6
• 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.^6,7
• 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/trunk is the most common location for developing melanoma, which may be the result of high-risk tanning behaviors.^6,7
• Melanoma in individuals 10-39 years old is highly curable with five-year survival rates exceeding 90 percent.⁷
• Overall, one in 59 men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime; one in 39 for Caucasian men and 1 in 58 for Caucasian women.⁸ Caucasians and men older than 50 are at a higher risk of developing melanoma than the general population.⁹
• It is estimated that there will be about 123,590 new cases of melanoma in 2011 — 53,360 noninvasive (in situ) and 70,230 invasive (40,010 men and 30,220 women).²
• One American dies of melanoma almost every hour. In 2011, it is estimated that 8,790 deaths will be attributed to melanoma — 5,750 men and 3,040 women.²
• 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.¹⁰
• Exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of melanoma, especially in women aged 45 years or younger.¹¹
• People who have more than 50 moles, atypical moles, or a family history of melanoma are at an increased risk of developing melanoma.²
• Approximately 75 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.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 16 percent, respectively.²
• Melanoma survivors have an approximately 9-fold increased risk of developing another melanoma compared to the general population.¹²
• In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer was $1.5 billion.⁸
• According to the National Cancer Institute, the estimated total direct cost associated with the treatment of melanoma in 2010 was $2.36 billion.¹⁴
• Individuals who have a history of melanoma should have a full-body exam at least annually and perform regular self-exams for new and changing moles.¹⁵

Learn more about skin cancer:

• Dermatology A to Z: Skin cancer
• Skin cancer prevention
• Skin cancer detection

¹ Rogers, 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 2011. http://www.cancer.org/Research/CancerFactsFigures/CancerFactsFigures/cancer-facts-figures-2011
³Christenson, 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
⁴Stern RS. Prevalence of a history of skin cancer in 2007: results of an incidence-based model. Arch Dermatol. 2010 Mar;146(3):279-82.
⁵Robinson JK. Sun Exposure, Sun Protection, and Vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294: 1541-43.
⁶Linos 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.
⁷Cancer Epidemiology in Older Adolescents & Young Adults. SEER AYA Monograph Pages 53-57. 2007.
⁸Rigel 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.
⁹ Melanoma of the Skin, Cancer Fact Sheets, National Cancer Institute, SEER database, 2007. http://seer.cancer.gov.
¹⁰World Health Organization, Solar ultraviolet radiation:  Global burden of disease from solar ultraviolet radiation. Environmental Burden of Disease Series, N.13. 2006.
¹¹Ting 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.
¹²Bradford 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.
¹³Bickers 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.
¹⁴"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).
¹⁵Berg A. Screening for skin cancer. US Preventive Services Task Force, 2007. http://archive.ahrq.gov/clinic/ajpmsuppl/skcarr.htm