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Education

Melanoma Facts:

  • Every hour of every day, someone dies of melanoma in the United States.
  • An estimated 116,500 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the USA this year.
  • Most common form of cancer for young adults (25-29 years old).
  • Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer because people can die from melanoma.
  • Today, 1 in 5 people will develop skin cancer.
  • Melanoma strikes people of all ages (including children), all races, all economic levels, and both sexes.
  • The majority of melanoma is caused by exposure to UV light and sunlight.
  • Skin Cancer in women has tripled in the past 30 years.
  • The use of sunscreen (SPF or higher) during the first 18 years of life would cut lifetime risk of melanoma by 78%!

To learn more about melanoma, visit: Wikipedia's Melanoma Entry

Further Resources
skincancertakesfriends.org
skincancer.org
aad.org

Survival:
Survival when superficial melanoma is found and diagnosed early:

Stage 0 (Diagnosis in situ Melanoma)
5 year survival: 100%
10 year survival: 100%

Stage IIIA (Multiple lymph nodes + non-ulcerated primary)
5 year survival: 63-69%
10 year survival: 57-63%

Stage IIIC (Multiple lymph nodes + ulcerated primary)
5 year survival: 24-29%
10 year survival: 15-24%

Stage IV (Major organs)
5 year survival: 7-9%
10 year survival: 3-6%

No significant advances in medical therapies (or survival) for patients with advanced melanoma have occurred in the past 30 years.

Melanoma currently ranks #8 on the NCI Research funding for cancer list.