SEER Stat Fact Sheets
It is estimated that 68,720 men and women (39,080 men and 29,640 women) will be diagnosed with and 8,650 men and women will die of melanoma of the skin in 20091 .
The following information is based on NCI’s SEER Cancer Statistics Review2 .
Incidence & Mortality
SEER Incidence
From 2002-2006, the median age at diagnosis for melanoma of the skin was 59 years of age3 . Approximately 0.9% were diagnosed under age 20; 7.8% between 20 and 34; 12.4% between 35 and 44; 18.9% between 45 and 54; 19.8% between 55 and 64; 17.7% between 65 and 74; 16.8% between 75 and 84; and 5.7% 85+ years of age.
The age-adjusted incidence rate was 19.6 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are based on cases diagnosed in 2002-2006 from 17 SEER geographic areas.
Race/Ethnicity | Male | Female |
---|---|---|
All Races | 25.0 per 100,000 men | 15.8 per 100,000 women |
White | 28.9 per 100,000 men | 18.7 per 100,000 women |
Black | 1.1 per 100,000 men | 1.0 per 100,000 women |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.6 per 100,000 men | 1.3 per 100,000 women |
American Indian/Alaska Native a | 3.9 per 100,000 men | 2.8 per 100,000 women |
Hispanic b | 4.6 per 100,000 men | 4.7 per 100,000 women |
US Mortality
From 2002-2006, the median age at death for melanoma of the skin was 68 years of age4 . Approximately 0.2% died under age 20; 2.9% between 20 and 34; 6.8% between 35 and 44; 14.6% between 45 and 54; 19.1% between 55 and 64; 21.1% between 65 and 74; 24.0% between 75 and 84; and 11.4% 85+ years of age.
The age-adjusted death rate was 2.7 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are based on patients who died in 2002-2006 in the US.
Race/Ethnicity | Male | Female |
---|---|---|
All Races | 3.9 per 100,000 men | 1.7 per 100,000 women |
White | 4.4 per 100,000 men | 2.0 per 100,000 women |
Black | 0.5 per 100,000 men | 0.4 per 100,000 women |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.5 per 100,000 men | 0.3 per 100,000 women |
American Indian/Alaska Native a | 1.6 per 100,000 men | 0.9 per 100,000 women |
Hispanic b | 0.9 per 100,000 men | 0.6 per 100,000 women |
Trends in Rates
Trends in rates can be described in many ways. Information for trends over a fixed period of time, for example 1996-2006, can be evaluated by the annual percentage change (APC) (See Fast Stats for trends over fixed time intervals) . If there is a negative sign before the number, the trend is a decrease; otherwise it is an increase. If there is an asterisk after the APC then the trend was significant, that is, one believes that it is beyond chance, i.e. 95% sure, that the increase or decrease is real over the period 1996-2006. If the trend is not significant, the trend is usually reported as stable or level. Joinpoint analyses can be used over a long period of time to evaluate when changes in the trend have occurred along with the APC which shows how much the trend has changed between each of the joinpoints.
All Races | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male and Female | Male | Female | |||
Trend | Period | Trend | Period | Trend | Period |
4.6* | 1975-1985 | 5.5* | 1975-1986 | 5.6* | 1975-1980 |
2.6* | 1985-2006 | 2.9* | 1986-2006 | 2.4* | 1980-2006 |
All Races | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male and Female | Male | Female | |||
Trend | Period | Trend | Period | Trend | Period |
4.7 | 1975-1977 | 2.4* | 1975-1987 | 0.8* | 1975-1988 |
1.4* | 1977-1990 | 0.7* | 1987-1998 | -0.6* | 1988-2006 |
-0.3 | 1990-2003 | -1.5 | 1998-2002 |   |   |
1.1 | 2003-2006 | 2.0* | 2002-2006 |   |   |
Survival & Stage
Survival rates can be calculated by different methods for different purposes. The survival rates presented here are based on the relative survival rate , which measures the survival of the cancer patients in comparison to the general population to estimate the effect of cancer. The overall 5-year relative survival rate for 1999-2005 from 17 SEER geographic areas was 91.4%. Five-year relative survival rates by race and sex were: 89.0% for white men; 93.9% for white women; 73.3% for black men; 80.4% for black women.
The stage distribution based on Summary Stage 2000 shows that 84% of melanoma of the skin cases are diagnosed while the cancer is still confined to the primary site (localized stage); 8% are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to regional lymph nodes or directly beyond the primary site; 4% are diagnosed after the cancer has already metastasized (distant stage) and for the remaining 4% the staging information was unknown. The corresponding 5-year relative survival rates were: 98.1% for localized; 61.9% for regional; 15.3% for distant; and 75.4% for unstaged. (See Fast Stats for more detailed statistics)
Lifetime Risk
Based on rates from 2004-2006, 1.88% of men and women born today will be diagnosed with melanoma of the skin at some time during their lifetime. This number can also be expressed as 1 in 53 men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma of the skin during their lifetime. These statistics are called the lifetime risk of developing cancer. Sometimes it is more useful to look at the probability of developing melanoma of the skin between two age groups. For example, 0.94% of men will develop melanoma of the skin between their 50th and 70th birthdays compared to 0.55% for women. (See Fast Stats for more detailed statistics, and Probability of Developing and Dying of Cancer for methodology)
Prevalence
On January 1, 2006, in the United States there were approximately 758,688 men and women alive who had a history of melanoma of the skin -- 367,925 men and 390,763 women. This includes any person alive on January 1, 2006 who had been diagnosed with melanoma of the skin at any point prior to January 1, 2006 and includes persons with active disease and those who are cured of their disease. Prevalence can also be expressed as a percentage and it can also be calculated for a specific amount of time prior to January 1, 2006 such as diagnosed within 5 years of January 1, 2006. (See Fast Stats for more detailed statistics, and Overview of Prevalence Statistics for methodology)
References
All statistics in this report are based on SEER incidence and NCHS mortality statistics. Most can be found within:
Horner MJ, Ries LAG, Krapcho M, Neyman N, Aminou R, Howlader N, Altekruse SF, Feuer EJ, Huang L, Mariotto A, Miller BA, Lewis DR, Eisner MP, Stinchcomb DG, Edwards BK (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2006, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2006/, based on November 2008 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, 2009.
Footnotes
1 Table I-1 (http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2006/results_single/sect_01_table.01.pdf)
2 Melanoma of the Skin Section (http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/ 1975_2006/results_merged/ sect_16_melanoma_skin.pdf)
3 Table I-11 (http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2006/results_single/sect_01_table.11_2pgs.pdf)
4 Table I-13 (http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2006/results_single/sect_01_table.13_2pgs.pdf)
* The APC is significantly different from zero (p<.05).
a Incidence data for Hispanics is based on NHIA and excludes cases from Alaska Native Registry. Hispanic death rates exclude deaths from the District of Columbia, Minnesota, New Hampshire and North Dakota.
b Incidence and mortality data for American Indians/Alaska Natives is based on the CHSDA (Contract Health Service Delivery Area) counties.
Definitions
- Annual percent change (APC)
- The average annual percent change over several years. The APC is used to measure trends or the change in rates over time. For information on how this is calculated, go to Trend Algortihms in the SEER*Stat Help system. The calculation involves fitting a straight line to the natural logarithm of the data when it is displayed by calendar year.
- Joinpoint analyses
- A statistical model for characterizing cancer trends which uses statistical criteria to determine how many times and when the trends in incidence or mortality rates have changed. The results of joinpoint are given as calendar year ranges, and the annual percent change (APC) in the rates over each period.
- Survival rates
- Survival examines how long after diagnosis people live. Cancer survival is measured in a number of different ways depending on the intended purpose.
- Relative survival rate
- A measure of net survival that is calculated by comparing observed (overall) survival with expected survival from a comparable set of people that do not have cancer to measure the excess mortality that is associated with a cancer diagnosis.
- Stage distribution
- Stage provides a measure of disease progression, detailing the degree to which the cancer has advanced. Two methods commonly used to determine stage are AJCC and SEER Summary Stage. The AJCC method (see Collaborative Staging Method) is more commonly used in the clinical settings, while SEER has strived to provide consistent definitions over time with their Local/Regional/Distant staging.
- Lifetime risk
- The probability of developing cancer in the course of one's lifespan. Lifetime risk may also be discussed in terms of the probability of developing or of dying from cancer. Based on cancer rates from 2004 to 2006, it was estimated that men had about a 44 percent chance of developing cancer in their lifetimes, while women had about a 38 percent chance.
- Probability of developing cancer
- The chance that a person will develop cancer in his/her lifetime.
- Prevalence
- The number of people who have received a diagnosis of cancer during a defined time period, and who are alive on the last day of that period. Most prevalence data in SEER is for limited duration because information on cases diagnosed before 1973 is not generally available.