Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts!

Ok so let's get to business, here are the facts on Melanoma but before I list them here is what melanoma is not.

It's not a cancer that is easily cured by removing the mole or chemotherapy.
It's not just exposure to the sun but can also be perpetuated by tanning beds.
It's not just a cancer for the fair skinned.
It's not a cancer for old men in speedos or for people that live in Sunny Arizona.

Here are the facts.

Melanoma Fact Sheet
Incidence:
• Melanoma is in epidemic growth at ~ 3% rise in cases per year
• 53,000+ new cases reported yearly / 7800+ deaths yearly
• Melanoma risk: (1935) 1:1500; (1960) 1:600; (1985) 1:150; (2000) 1:74
• Fastest growing cancer currently in USA and worldwide
• Most common cancer in young adults aged 20-30
• Currently MORE new cases of melanoma than HIV/AIDS
• Women age 25-30: melanoma = primary cause of cancer death
• Women age 30-35: melanoma = #2 cause of death (after breast cancer)
• Melanoma = 5% of all skin cancers / 71% all skin cancer deaths
• Melanoma does occur in ALL age groups – including Pediatric age groups
Causes:
• Mechanism of initiation of melanoma from normal skin = unknown
• No specific genetic locus yet identified
• Primary skin lesion sometimes never found (or is “amelanotic” = non-pigmented)
• Multiple risk factors exist for the development of melanoma including:
• UV exposure (especially 1 or more blistering sunburns in childhood)
• Moles – especially atypical or dysplastic moles
• Increase risk if person has greater than 50 moles
Survival: (from AJCC 2002 Revised Melanoma Staging / Survival data)
• Survival when superficial melanoma is found and diagnosed early
• Diagnosis: in situ melanoma (Stage 0)
• 5 year survival = 100%; 10 year survival = 100%
• Survival when melanoma no longer superficial (Advanced stage melanoma)
• Diagnosis: melanoma in lymph nodes (Stage III disease)
• 5 year survival: IIIA (single/multiple nodes + non-ulcerated primary)= 63-69%
• 5 year survival: IIIC (single/multiple nodes + ulcerated primary) = 24-29%
• 10 year survival: IIIA = 57-63%; IIIC = 15-24%
• Diagnosis: melanoma now disseminated to major organs (Stage IV disease)
• 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
For more information
The Melanoma Research Foundation
24 Old Georgetown Road
Princeton , New Jersey 08540
Website: www.melanoma.org
Phone: 800-MRF-1290