Cancer of the skin is by far the most common of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for less than 5% of skin cancer cases but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 68,130 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States during 2010 (about 38,870 in men; 29,260 in women). Incidence rates for melanoma have been increasing for at least 30 years. In recent years, the increases have been most pronounced in young white women and in older white men.
Melanoma is more than 10 times more common in whites than in African Americans. It is slightly more common in men than in women.
Overall, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 2% (1 in 50) for whites, 0.1% (1 in 1,000) for blacks, and 0.5% (1 in 200) for Hispanics. The risk for each person can be affected by a number of different factors, which are described in the section, "What are the risk factors for melanoma?"
Unlike many other common cancers, melanoma has a wide age distribution. It occurs in younger as well as older people. Rates continue to increase with age and are highest among those in their 80s, but melanoma is not uncommon even among those younger than 30. In fact, it is one of the more common cancers in young adults.
About 8,700 people in the United States are expected to die of melanoma during 2010 ( about 5,670 men; 3,030 women). The death rate has been dropping since the 1990s for those younger than 50, but has been stable or rising in those older than 50.
