Why it matters:

Skin Cancer Statistics

Melanoma

Melanoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Melanoma

  • An estimated 192, 310 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2019. (1)

  • An estimated 7,230 people will die of melanoma in 2019. (1)

  • Men age 49 and under have a higher probability of developing melanoma than any other cancer. (1)

  • Women age 49 and under are more likely to develop melanoma than any other cancer except breast and thyroid cancers.(1)

  • Melanomas in blacks, Asians and native Hawaiians most often occur on non-exposed skin with less pigment, with up to 60 to 75 percent of tumors arising on the palms, soles, mucous membranes and nail regions. (2)

  • Late-stage melanoma diagnoses are more prevalent among Hispanic and black patients than non-Hispanic white patients; 52 percent of non-Hispanic black patients and 26 percent of Hispanic patients receive an initial diagnosis of advanced stage melanoma, versus 16 percent of non-Hispanic white patients. (3)

  1. Cancer Facts and Figures 2019. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/cancer-facts-figures-2019.html. Accessed January 14, 2019.

  2. Gloster HM, Neal K. Skin cancer in skin of color. J Am Acad Dermatol 2006; 55:741-60.

  3. Hu S, Soza-Vento RM, Parker DF, et al. Comparison of stage at diagnosis of melanoma among Hispanic, black, and white patients in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Arch Dermatol 2006; 142(6):704-8.

See more statistics at Skincancer.org

Non-Melanoma

  • Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer. An estimated 4.3 million cases of BCC are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. (1)

  • Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer. More than 1 million cases of SCC are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.(1)

  • The latest figures suggest that more than 15,000 people die of SCC in the U.S. each year—more than twice as many as from melanoma. (2)

  • Organ transplant patients are approximately 100 times more likely than the general public to develop squamous cell carcinoma. (3)

  1. Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Feldman SR, Coldiron BM. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer (keratinocyte carcinomas) in the US population, 2012. JAMA Dermatol 2015; 151(10):1081-1086.

  2. Mansouri B, Housewright C. The treatment of actinic keratoses—the rule rather than the exception. J Am Acad Dermatol 2017; 153(11):1200. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.3395.

  3. Lindelöf B, Sigurgeirsson B, Gäbel H, et al. Incidence of skin cancer in 5356 patients following organ transplantation. Br J Dermatol 2000; 143(3):513-9

See more statistics at Skincancer.org