CDC: Melanoma rates doubled between 1982 and 2011

The CDC reported that melanoma rates doubled between 1982 and 2011 but that 20% of projected new cases between 2020 and 2030 could be prevented through comprehensive skin cancer prevention programs, according to the agency’s Vital Signs report for June.

“Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and it’s on the rise,” Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, CDC director, said in a press release.

Tom Frieden

Melanoma rates increased from 11.2 per 100,000 in 1982 to 22.7 per 100,000 in 2011, according to the release. The report notes that 112,000 new cases are projected by 2030 without additional community prevention efforts. The annual cost of treating new melanoma cases was $457 million in 2011, which is projected to nearly triple to $1.6 billion in 2030

Melanoma is responsible for more than 9,000 skin cancer deaths each year, according to the report. There were 65,000 melanoma skin cancers diagnosed in 2011.

Effective skin cancer prevention programs could prevent an estimated 230,000 melanoma skin cancers and save $2.7 billion in treatment costs by 2030, according to the report. According to the CDC, successful prevention programs would combine education, mass media campaisn and policy changes that would increase skin protection in children and adults.

Lisa Richardson

“The rate of people getting melanoma continues to increase every year compared to the rates of other cancers, which are declining” Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, said in the release. “If we can take action now, we can prevent hundreds of thousands of new cases of skin cancers, including melanoma, and save billions of dollars in medical costs.”

The researchers determined the melanoma rates using the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries and National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program.

Reference: www.cdc.gov