The average American’s chances of developing the most serious form of skin cancer have been steadily rising over the last seven years — and more Americans are dying from the disease.
New data from 2016 shows one in 54 people will be diagnosed with invasive melanoma, compared with one in 58 in 2009, according to researchers who investigated melanoma incidence rates and deaths.
“We wanted to provide an update on the incidence and lifetime risk of developing melanoma so doctors can incorporate it into their daily practices. For internists, it might make them more likely to do a full body scan or to recommend a patient to a dermatologist,” study co-author Dr. Alex Glazer, with the National Society for Cutaneous Medicine in New York, told CBS News.
The lifetime risk for in situ melanoma — which involves only the top layers of skin but can become invasive — has risen even more rapidly, from one in 78 people in 2009 to one in 58 today.
The odds of developing either type of melanoma, in situ or invasive, over a lifetime is shockingly high: one in 28 people will eventually be diagnosed.
