Skin Cancer Fact Sheet
Incidence rates
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States.
Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
It is estimated that nearly 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.
Researchers estimate that 5.4 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, were treated in 3.3 million people in the United States in 2012.
The overall incidence of BCC increased by 145 percent between 1976-1984 and 2000-2010, and the overall incidence of SCC increased 263 percent over that same period.
Women had the greatest increase in incidence rates for both types of NMSC.
NMSC incidence rates are increasing in people younger than 40.
More than 1 million Americans are living with melanoma.
It is estimated that 161,790 new cases of melanoma, 74,680 noninvasive (in situ) and 87,110 invasive, will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2017.
Invasive melanoma is projected to be the fifth most common cancer for men (52,170 cases) and the sixth most common cancer for women (34,940 cases) in 2017.
Melanoma rates in the United States doubled from 1982 to 2011.
Caucasians and men older than 50 have a higher risk of developing melanoma than the general population.
The incidence in men ages 80 and older is three times higher than women of the same age.
The annual incidence rate of melanoma in non-Hispanic Caucasians is 26 per 100,000, compared to 5 per 100,000 in Hispanics and 1 per 100,000 in African-Americans.
In people of color, melanoma is often diagnosed at later stages, when the disease is more advanced.
Before age 50, melanoma incidence rates are higher in women than in men, but by age 65, rates are twice as high in men.
Melanoma in Caucasian women younger than 44 has increased 6.1 percent annually, which may reflect recent trends in indoor tanning.
Melanoma is the second most common form of cancer in females age 15-29.
Melanoma incidence is increasing faster in females age 15-29 than in males of the same age group.
Survival rates
Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the two most common forms of skin cancer, are highly curable if detected early and treated properly.
The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 98 percent.
Five-year survival rates for regional and distant stage melanomas are 62 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
Mortality rates
The vast majority of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.
On average, one American dies from melanoma every hour. In 2017, it is estimated that 9,730 deaths will be attributed to melanoma — 6,380 men and 3,350 women.
According to a recent study, men diagnosed with melanoma between the ages of 15 and 39 were 55 percent more likely to die from melanoma than females diagnosed with melanoma in the same age group.
An estimated 3,860 deaths from skin cancers other than melanoma and NMSC will occur in the United States in 2017.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 65,000 people a year worldwide die from melanoma.
Risk factors
Exposure to natural and artificial ultraviolet light is a risk factor for all types of skin cancer.
Avoiding this risk factor alone could prevent more than 5 million cases of skin cancer every year.
Research indicates that UV light from the sun and tanning beds can both cause melanoma and increase the risk of a benign mole progressing to melanoma.
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.
Even one blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence can nearly double a person's chance of developing melanoma.
Experiencing five or more blistering sunburns between ages 15 and 20 increases one’smelanoma risk by 80 percent and nonmelanoma skin cancer risk by 68 percent.
In 2010, new research found that daily sunscreen use cut the incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, in half.
People older than 65 may experience melanoma more frequently because of UV exposure they've received over the course of their lives.
Higher melanoma rates among men may be due in part to lower rates of sun protection. 1,22
Exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of melanoma, especially in women 45 and younger.
Researchers estimate that indoor tanning may cause upwards of 400,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year.
In females 15 to 29 years old, the torso/trunk is the most common location for developing melanoma, which may be due to high-risk tanning behaviors.
Higher melanoma rates among young females compared to young males may be due in part to widespread use of indoor tanning among females.
Risk factors for all types of skin cancer include skin that burns easily; blond or red hair; a history of excessive sun exposure, including sunburns; tanning bed use; immune system-suppressing diseases or treatments; and a history of skin cancer.
People with more than 50 moles, atypical moles, or large moles are at an increased risk of developing melanoma, as are those with light skin and freckles, and those with a personal or family history of melanoma.
Melanoma survivors have an approximately nine-fold increased risk of developing another melanoma compared to the general population.
Men and women with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer are at a higher risk of developing melanoma than people without a nonmelanoma skin cancer history.
Women with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer are at a higher risk of developing leukemia, breast, kidney and lung cancers, and men with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
Prevention and detection
Because exposure to UV light is the most preventable risk factor for all skin cancers,6 the American Academy of Dermatology encourages everyone to protect their skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays by seeking shade, wearing protective clothing and using a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of 30 or higher.
Because severe sunburns during childhood may increase one’s risk of melanoma, children should be especially protected from the sun.
People should not use tanning beds or sun lamps, which are sources of artificial UV radiation that may cause skin cancer.
Skin cancer warning signs include changes in size, shape or color of a mole or other skin lesion, the appearance of a new growth on the skin, or a sore that doesn't heal. If you notice any spots on your skin that are different from the others, or anything changing, itching or bleeding, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends that you make an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist.
The American Academy of Dermatology encourages everyone to perform skin self-exams to check for signs of skin cancer and get a skin exam from a doctor. A dermatologist can make individual recommendations as to how often a person needs these exams based on risk factors, including skin type, history of sun exposure and family history.
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 to check for new and changing moles.
Cost
About 4.9 million U.S. adults were treated for skin cancer each year from 2007 to 2011, for an average annual treatment cost of $8.1 billion.
This represents an increase over the period from 2002 to 2006, when about 3.4 million adults were treated for skin cancer each year, for an annual average treatment cost of $3.6 billion.2
The annual cost of treating nonmelanoma skin cancer in the U.S. is estimated at $4.8 billion, while the average annual cost of treating melanoma is estimated at $3.3 billion.
Researchers estimate that there were nearly 34,000 U.S. emergency department visits related to sunburn in 2013, for an estimated total cost of $11.2 million.