Here are seven findings from the CDC Vital Signs report.
1. More than 90 percent of melanoma skin cancers are due to skin cell damage from ultraviolet radiation exposure.
2. Melanoma rates increased from 11.2 per 100,000 in 1982 to 22.7 per 100,000 in 2011.
3. Melanoma is responsible for more than 9,000 skin cancer deaths each year and in 2011, more than 65,000 melanoma skin cancers were diagnosed.
4. Without additional community prevention efforts, melanoma will continue to increase over the next 15 years, with 112,000 new cases projected in 2030.
5. The annual cost of treating new melanoma cases is projected to nearly triple from $457 million in 2011 to $1.6 billion in 2030.
6. By 2030, according to the report, effective community skin cancer prevention programs that combine education, mass media campaigns and policy changes to increase skin protection for children and adults could prevent an estimated 230,000 melanoma skin cancers and save $2.7 billion dollars in treatment costs.
7. Additional prevention efforts may also include increasing shade on playgrounds, at public pools and other public spaces; promoting sun protection in recreational areas; encouraging employers, childcare centers, schools and colleges to educate about sun safety and skin protection; and restricting the availability and use of indoor tanning by minors.
“The rate of people getting melanoma continues to increase every year compared to the rates of most other cancers, which are declining,” said Lisa Richardson, MD, director of the CDC’s division of cancer prevention and control. “If we 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.”
More articles on skin cancer:
Mount Sinai Medical Center provides free sunscreen to public
1 in 5 Medicare patients experience a delay of surgery for melanoma
App for skin cancer diagnosis to launch on World Cancer Day
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