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Melanoma rate is rising in US

The melanoma rate in the United States is rising, with an estimated one in 54 Americans expected to develop invasive melanoma during their lifetime, according to research recently published in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers compared absolute number of invasive melanomas in the United States in 2016 with similar data from 2009.

Lifetime risk of developing a melanoma was calculated based on estimated annual incidence, average life expectancy and base year’s U.S. population after adjustments.

The researchers estimated that 76,380 Americans will be diagnosed with invasive melanoma in 2016.

There was a one in 54 current lifetime risk of an American developing invasive melanoma in 2016 compared with a one in 58 risk reported in 2009. The lifetime risk of developing in situ melanoma rose from one in 78 in 2009 to 1 in 58 in 2016.

When including an estimated 47,489 cases of in situ melanoma in 2016, the lifetime risk for being diagnosed with invasive or in situ melanoma is one in 28.

There was an increase of 1.5% compound annual growth rate in the annual number of population-adjusted melanoma deaths, with an estimated 10,130 Americans who will die from melanoma in 2016, compared with 8,650 in 2009.

“The overall burden of disease for melanoma is increasing and rising rates are not simply artifact owing to increased detection of indolent disease,” the researchers wrote. “Despite the 2014 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer, this study’s results demonstrate that the incidence of invasive melanoma in the United States is increasing on a lesser trajectory in the last 7 years than the mortality rate, suggesting that we may not yet be seeing the effect of earlier detection on melanoma mortality.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The researchers report no financial disclosures.