68,130 new cases of invasive melanoma and 53,120 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States in 2010*

•   38,870 cases of invasive melanoma will occur in males.
•   29,260 cases of invasive melanoma will occur in females.

Figures From Around the World:

• About 160,000 new cases are diagnosed worldwide each year.

• According to the World Health Organization Report, about 48,000 melanoma-related deaths occur worldwide each year.

• In some parts of the world, especially among Western countries, melanoma is becoming more common every year. In the United States, for example, the percentage of people who develop melanoma has more than doubled in the past 30 years.

Likelihood of Getting Melanoma:

•  10 times more common in Caucasians than in African Americans. It is slightly more common in males than in females.*
• 10% of all people with melanoma have a family history of melanoma.

Survival Rates:

•  5,670 males and 3,030 females are expected to die of melanoma during 2008.*

• 91% and 90% is the survival rate for people with all stages of melanoma to live without the disease for at least 5 or 10 years.

Note:  All survival rates are estimated averages based on past cases but do not necessarily mean that it may predict your individual survival. Every person and every case is different, and many factors may contribute to survival.

Table 1. Actual 5 Year Relative Survival Rates by Stage at Diagnosis

Table 2. Probability of Developing Melanoma of the Skin Over Selected Age Intervals and By Gender

Table 3: Survival Rates by Race

Note: Based on data from 1999-2005

Table 4: States With the Highest Numbers of New Melanomas (2010)

* Source: American Cancer Society 2010