Melanoma of the Skin — Cancer Stat Facts

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Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance

Estimated New Cases in 2020 100,350

% of All New Cancer Cases 5.6%

Estimated Deaths in 2020 6,850

% of All Cancer Deaths 1.1%

5-Year
Relative Survival

92.7% 2010–2016

Year	Rate of New Cases — SEER 9		Rate of New Cases — SEER 13		Death Rate — U.S.		5-Year Relative Survival — SEER 9
Year	Observed	Modeled Trend	Observed	Modeled Trend	Observed	Modeled Trend	Observed	Modeled Trend
1975	7.89	7.76	-	-	2.07	2.19	81.93%	80.93%
1976	8.15	8.22	-	-	2.24	2.23	82.54%	81.55%
1977	8.87	8.71	-	-	2.27	2.26	81.79%	82.15%
1978	8.95	9.22	-	-	2.31	2.30	81.74%	82.74%
1979	9.53	9.76	-	-	2.42	2.33	82.60%	83.30%
1980	10.51	10.34	-	-	2.34	2.37	83.99%	83.85%
1981	11.08	10.95	-	-	2.43	2.40	80.41%	84.38%
1982	11.19	11.27	-	-	2.46	2.44	84.11%	84.90%
1983	11.08	11.59	-	-	2.48	2.48	84.24%	85.40%
1984	11.41	11.93	-	-	2.53	2.52	85.33%	85.89%
1985	12.78	12.27	-	-	2.56	2.55	86.33%	86.36%
1986	13.32	12.63	-	-	2.59	2.59	88.31%	86.82%
1987	13.68	13.00	-	-	2.65	2.63	87.66%	87.26%
1988	12.89	13.37	-	-	2.65	2.67	89.06%	87.69%
1989	13.75	13.76	-	-	2.69	2.71	87.76%	88.10%
1990	13.87	14.16	-	-	2.75	2.71	89.43%	88.51%
1991	14.63	14.57	-	-	2.71	2.71	89.93%	88.90%
1992	14.77	14.99	14.14	13.76	2.71	2.71	88.81%	89.27%
1993	14.65	15.43	13.83	14.36	2.71	2.71	90.24%	89.64%
1994	15.67	15.87	14.81	14.99	2.66	2.71	88.95%	89.99%
1995	16.50	16.33	15.88	15.64	2.70	2.71	90.28%	90.33%
1996	17.40	16.81	16.56	16.32	2.80	2.71	92.25%	90.67%
1997	17.77	17.29	16.83	17.03	2.73	2.71	89.98%	90.99%
1998	17.97	17.79	16.85	17.31	2.75	2.71	91.03%	91.30%
1999	18.37	18.31	17.39	17.59	2.63	2.71	92.55%	91.60%
2000	19.02	18.84	17.69	17.87	2.66	2.70	92.21%	91.89%
2001	19.74	19.39	18.49	18.16	2.66	2.70	92.21%	92.17%
2002	19.37	19.95	17.96	18.45	2.61	2.70	93.06%	92.44%
2003	19.60	20.53	18.06	18.75	2.67	2.70	93.46%	92.70%
2004	20.73	21.12	19.00	19.05	2.67	2.70	93.40%	92.95%
2005	22.51	21.73	20.42	19.36	2.76	2.70	93.39%	93.20%
2006	22.17	22.05	20.12	19.67	2.74	2.70	93.11%	93.43%
2007	21.88	22.38	20.18	19.98	2.68	2.70	93.57%	93.66%
2008	23.28	22.71	21.13	20.30	2.69	2.70	93.60%	93.88%
2009	23.22	23.05	20.76	20.63	2.81	2.70	93.45%	94.10%
2010	23.95	23.39	21.47	20.96	2.74	2.70	93.94%	94.30%
2011	23.01	23.74	20.55	21.30	2.69	2.69	93.91%	94.50%
2012	23.09	24.09	20.85	21.64	2.66	2.69	95.13%	94.69%
2013	24.24	24.45	21.82	21.99	2.67	2.69	-	94.88%
2014	25.44	24.81	22.99	22.35	2.57	2.54	-	95.06%
2015	25.92	25.18	23.19	22.71	2.41	2.40	-	95.23%
2016	25.70	25.55	22.99	23.07	2.17	2.26	-	95.40%
2017	25.38	25.93	22.58	23.44	2.09	2.13	-	95.56%
2018	-	-	-	-	2.08	2.01	-	95.72%

New cases come from SEER 13. Deaths come from U.S. Mortality.
All Races, Both Sexes. Rates are Age-Adjusted.
Modeled trend lines were calculated from the underlying rates using the Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software.

New cases are also referred to as incident cases in other publications. Rates of new cases are also referred to as incidence rates.

Rate of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The rate of new cases of melanoma of the skin was 22.7 per 100,000 men and women per year. The death rate was 2.3 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2013–2017 cases and 2014–2018 deaths.

Lifetime Risk of Developing Cancer: Approximately 2.3 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma of the skin at some point during their lifetime, based on 2015–2017 data.

Prevalence of This Cancer: In 2017, there were an estimated 1,245,276 people living with melanoma of the skin in the United States.

Play Did You Know Video — **Did you know?**
Melanoma of the skin is among the most common cancer types in the United States.

**Did you know?**
Melanoma of the skin is among the most common cancer types in the United States.

Did You Know? Video Series

Survival Statistics

How Many People Survive 5 Years Or More after Being Diagnosed with Melanoma of the Skin?

Relative survival is an estimate of the percentage of patients who would be expected to survive the effects of their cancer. It excludes the risk of dying from other causes. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. No two patients are entirely alike, and treatment and responses to treatment can vary greatly.

5-Year
Relative Survival

92.7%

Based on data from SEER 18 2010–2016. Gray figures represent those who have died from melanoma of the skin. Green figures represent those who have survived 5 years or more.

Additional Information

Survival by Stage

Cancer stage at diagnosis, which refers to extent of a cancer in the body, determines treatment options and has a strong influence on the length of survival. In general, if the cancer is found only in the part of the body where it started it is localized (sometimes referred to as stage 1). If it has spread to a different part of the body, the stage is regional or distant. The earlier melanoma of the skin is caught, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after being diagnosed. For melanoma of the skin, 83.1% are diagnosed at the local stage. The 5-year relative survival for localized melanoma of the skin is 99.0%.

Percent of Cases & 5-Year Relative Survival by Stage at Diagnosis: Melanoma of the Skin

Stage	Percent of Cases	5-Year Relative Survival
Localized Confined to Primary Site	83%	99.0%
Regional Spread to Regional Lymph Nodes	9%	66.2%
Distant Cancer Has Metastasized	4%	27.3%
Unknown Unstaged	4%	87.2%

SEER 18 2010–2016, All Races, Both Sexes by SEER Summary Stage 2000

Additional Information

New Cases and Deaths

How Common Is This Cancer?

Compared to other cancers, melanoma of the skin is fairly common.

Rank	Common Types of Cancer	Estimated New Cases 2020	Estimated Deaths 2020
1.	Breast Cancer (Female)	276,480	42,170
2.	Lung and Bronchus Cancer	228,820	135,720
3.	Prostate Cancer	191,930	33,330
4.	Colorectal Cancer	147,950	53,200
5.	Melanoma of the Skin	100,350	6,850
6.	Bladder Cancer	81,400	17,980
7.	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	77,240	19,940
8.	Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer	73,750	14,830
9.	Uterine Cancer	65,620	12,590
10.	Leukemia	60,530	23,100

Melanoma of the skin represents 5.6% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.

5.6%

In 2020, it is estimated that there will be 100,350 new cases of melanoma of the skin and an estimated 6,850 people will die of this disease.

Who Gets This Cancer?

Melanoma is more common in men than women and among individuals of fair complexion and those who have been exposed to natural or artificial sunlight (such as tanning beds) over long periods of time. There are more new cases among whites than any other racial/ethnic group. The rate of new cases of melanoma of the skin was 22.7 per 100,000 men and women per year based on 2013–2017 cases, age-adjusted.

Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity & Sex: Melanoma of the Skin

Males

All Races	29.3
White	34.6
Black	1.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.6
American Indian/Alaska Native	5.9
Hispanic	5.0
Non-Hispanic	33.1

Females

All Races	17.8
White	21.7
Black	0.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.2
American Indian/Alaska Native	5.0
Hispanic	4.9
Non-Hispanic	20.4

SEER 21 2013–2017, Age-Adjusted

Percent of New Cases by Age Group: Melanoma of the Skin

Age Range	Percent of New Cases
<20	0.4%
20–34	5.1%
35–44	7.1%
45–54	13.8%
55–64	22.6%
65–74	24.8%
75–84	17.5%
>84	8.7%

Melanoma of the skin is most frequently diagnosed among people aged 65–74.

Median Age
At Diagnosis

SEER 21 2013–2017, All Races, Both Sexes

Who Dies From This Cancer?

For melanoma of the skin, death rates are higher among the middle-aged and elderly. The death rate was 2.3 per 100,000 men and women per year based on 2014–2018 deaths, age-adjusted.

Death Rate per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity & Sex: Melanoma of the Skin

Males

All Races	3.4
White	3.9
Black	0.4
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.4
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.9
Hispanic	0.9
Non-Hispanic	3.6

Females

All Races	1.4
White	1.7
Black	0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.3
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.5
Hispanic	0.5
Non-Hispanic	1.5

U.S. 2014–2018, Age-Adjusted

Percent of Deaths by Age Group: Melanoma of the Skin

Age Range	Percent of Deaths
<20	0.1%
20–34	1.7%
35–44	4.0%
45–54	9.3%
55–64	18.9%
65–74	24.6%
75–84	23.9%
>84	17.5%

The percent of melanoma of the skin deaths is highest among people aged 65–74.

Median Age
At Death

U.S. 2014–2018, All Races, Both Sexes

Trends in Rates

Changes Over Time

Keeping track of new cases, deaths, and survival over time (trends) can help scientists understand whether progress is being made and where additional research is needed to address challenges, such as improving screening or finding better treatments.

Using statistical models for analysis, age-adjusted rates for new melanoma of the skin cases have been rising on average 1.5% each year over 2008–2017. Age-adjusted death rates have been falling on average 3.2% each year over 2009–2018. 5-year relative survival trends are shown below.

New Cases, Deaths and 5-Year Relative Survival

View Data Table

Interactive Statistics with SEER*Explorer

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SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by gender, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology.

Explore Additional Melanoma of the Skin Statistics

More About This Cancer

Melanoma

Figure: Melanoma Anatomy

Figure: Anatomy of the skin, showing the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. Melanocytes are in the layer of basal cells at the deepest part of the epidermis.

Skin cancer can occur anywhere on the body, but it is most common in skin that is often exposed to sunlight, such as the face, neck, hands, and arms. There are different types of cancer that start in the skin.

Melanoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the skin cells called melanocytes (cells that color the skin). Melanocytes are found throughout the lower part of the epidermis. They make melanin, the pigment that gives skin its natural color.

Additional Information

Learn more about melanoma

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about melanoma of the skin.

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within SEER*Explorer.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Melanoma of the Skin. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html

These stat facts focus on population statistics that are based on the U.S. population. Because these statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. To see tailored statistics, browse SEER*Explorer. To see statistics for a specific state, go to the State Cancer Profiles.

The statistics presented in these stat facts are based on the most recent data available, most of which can be found in SEER*Explorer. In some cases, different year spans may be used.

Estimates of new cases and deaths for 2020 are projections made by the American Cancer Society (ACS), based on earlier reported data.

Cancer is a complex topic. There is a wide range of information available. These stat facts do not address causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, or decision making, although links are provided to information in many of these areas.