Context

Guidance

Melanoma is the fifth most common skin cancer in the UK, accounting for 4% of all new cancer cases and more cancer deaths than all other skin cancers combined. During 2016 to 2018 there were 16,744 new cases of melanoma and 2,333 deaths from melanoma. Of those who develop melanoma, 87% survive for 10 years or longer.

Incidence rates for melanoma skin cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89. Each year more than a quarter (29%) of all new melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over. Since the early 1990s, melanoma skin cancer incidence rates have more than doubled (140%) in the UK. Rates in females have around doubled (106%), and rates in males have almost tripled (186%), from 2016 to 2018. Incidence rates for melanoma skin cancer are projected to rise by 7% in the UK between 2014 and 2035, to 32 cases per 100,000 people by 2035.

A person's risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors). Most cases of melanoma (86%) in the UK are preventable. Melanoma is most common in people with pale skin however it is often diagnosed at a more advanced stage in people with darker skin. This highlights a need for equal opportunity of diagnoses for people with darker skin. The risk factors are skin that tends to burn in the sun, having many moles, intermittent sun exposure and sunburn.