What’s It to Me?
Facts & Stats
- Half of all new cancers are skin cancers.*
- More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year.*
- About 80 percent of the new skin cancer cases will be basal cell carcinoma, 16 percent are squamous cell carcinoma, and 4 percent are melanoma.
- Both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma have a better than 95 percent cure rate if detected and treated early.
- An estimated 9,800 people will die of skin cancer this year—7,800 from melanoma and 2,000 from other skin cancers.*
- There will be about 51,400 new cases of melanoma in 2001—29,000 men and 22,400 women.* This is a 9 percent increase from 2000. In 2001, at current rates one in 71 Americans have a lifetime risk of developing melanoma.
- One person dies of melanoma every hour. In 2001, 7,800 deaths will be attributed to melanoma—5,000 men and 2,800 women.* Older Caucasian males have the highest mortality rates from melanoma.
- The incidence of melanoma more than tripled among Caucasians between 1980 and 2001.
- More than 80 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.
- Melanoma is more common than any non-skin cancer among women between 25 and 29 years old.
- Melanoma is the sixth most common cancer in men and the seventh most common cancer in women.* **
* Source: American Cancer Societyés 2001 Facts & Figures
** Excluding basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which together are the most common cancers in both sexes.
Hey, it’s Cool in the Shade.
Protect your skin. Protect yourself.
Some pages on this website are created and maintained by kids—members of Texas 4-H.