Skin Cancer Facts/Statistics:

• Half of all new cancers are skin cancers.
• More than 1.5 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States each year.
• About 79% of skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma, 15% squamous cell carcinoma, and 5% melanoma.
• More than 73% of skin cancer deaths are due to malignant melanoma.
• Melanoma represents 2% of all cancers and 1% of all cancer deaths in the United States.
• The lifetime risk for developing a melanoma is projected to rise to 1 in 50 Americans by the year 2010.
• The incidence of malignant melanoma tripled among Caucasians between 1980 and 2003.
• There will be 7,770 deaths from melanoma and 2,820 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers each year.
• One person dies from melanoma every 66 minutes.

Source: American Cancer Society (updated 4/17/06)