How Survivable Is Skin Cancer

Cancer Statistics In Australia

• In 2020, it was estimated that there were just under 150,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed and just under 50,000 deaths from cancer
• One in two Australian men and women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85.1
• Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia almost 50,000 deaths from cancer were estimated for 2019. 1
• In 2014, cancer was the second most common cause of death in Australia and accounted for about three in 10 deaths.1,3
• Around 25,000 more people die each year from cancer compared to 1982. This is due mainly to population growth and ageing.1 However, the death rate has fallen by more than 24%.
• In the 1980s, the cancer survival rate was less than 50%. Today, almost seven in 10 Australians will survive for at least five years after a cancer diagnosis and in some cancers the survival is as high as 90%.1
• The most common cancers in Australia are prostate, breast, colorectal , melanoma and lung cancer. These five cancers account for about 60% of all cancers diagnosed in Australia.1
• In 2008, it was estimated that every year around 434,000 people will be diagnosed with one or more non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia. 4
• In 2016, there were 679 Australians who died from non-melanoma skin cancer.1,5
• In 2016-18, $252 million in funding was provided for cancer research projects and programs in Australia.6

What You Need To Know

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and worldwide.

• 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.
• More than 2 people die of skin cancer in the U.S. every hour.
• Having 5 or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma.
• When detected early, the 5-year survival rate for melanoma is 99 percent.

Theres more than meets the eye when it comes to skin cancer, so make sure you know all the facts. You can #SharetheFacts on social media by downloading images from our Skin Cancer Awareness Toolkit. For the latest news, visit our Press Room.

• Rare skin cancers

How Can I Tell If I Have Skin Cancer

¿Cómo se ve el cáncer de la piel? ¿Cómo puedo prevenir el cáncer de piel?¿Estoy en riesgo de desarrollar melanoma?Cáncer de piel en personas de colorCómo examinar sus manchasNoe Rozas comparte su

Skin cancer is actually one of the easiest cancers to find. Thats because skin cancer usually begins where you can see it.

You can get skin cancer anywhere on your skin from your scalp to the bottoms of your feet. Even if the area gets little sun, its possible for skin cancer to develop there.

You can also get skin cancer in places that may surprise you. Skin cancer can begin under a toenail or fingernail, on your genitals, inside your mouth, or on a lip.

Also Check: How To Identify Basal Cell Carcinoma

Melanoma Skin Cancer Survival By Age

Five-year survival for melanoma skin cancer generally decreases with increasing age. Five-year net survival in men ranges from 91% in 15-39 year-olds to 82% in 80-99 year-olds for patients diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in England during 2009-2013. In women, five-year survival ranges from 97% to 84% in the same age groups.

Melanoma skin cancer , Five-Year Net Survival by Age, England, 2009-2013

Interactive Statistics With Seer*explorer

With SEER*Explorer, you can…

• Create custom graphs and tables

SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by gender, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology.

Recommended Reading: Does Amelanotic Melanoma Blanch When Pressed

Can Bcc Be Cured

Most BCCs can be treated and removed with minor surgery or other local treatment. The goals of treatment are to completely remove all cancer cells while preserving the function and appearance of the affected body part. Less than 5 percent of BCCs come back after Mohs surgery and wide excision compared to 15 percent or higher for some other treatment options.8

Your doctor will recommend a treatment approach based on how likely the cancer is to grow back and its location. Even when one BCC is removed, your risk of another separate BCC is higher. Ask your doctor how oftenand for how many yearsyou should have follow-up exams.

Survival Rates For Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Survival rates can give you an idea of what percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer are still alive a certain amount of time after they were diagnosed. They cant tell you how long you will live, but they may help give you a better understanding of how likely it is that your treatment will be successful.

Keep in mind that survival rates are estimates and are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had a specific cancer, but they cant predict what will happen in any particular persons case. These statistics can be confusing and may lead you to have more questions. Talk with your doctor about how these numbers may apply to you, as he or she is familiar with your situation.

Read Also: What Is The Most Aggressive Skin Cancer

Which Cancers Are Most Survivable And Why

At one time in the not-so-distant past, a cancer diagnosis was something close to a death sentence. That is far, far less true these days. As our understanding of the wide variety of cancers grows, and the spectrum of treatment options widens, a cancer diagnosis is no longer regarded as a death sentence. In fact, there is now a great deal of realistic hope for a long and healthy prognosis.

While we may have a ways to go in fully understanding the underlying mechanisms of cancer and in creating effective treatment options for all of them, we have in fact learned much about how cancer works, about what makes some forms of cancer more survivable than others, about what diagnosis procedures have the most promise in helping to create a near-guarantee of survival, and what treatments provide an extremely positive prognosis . Heres a snapshot: the following table illustrates how much has changed in the cancer landscape, and what cancers are most survivable.

Table 1. The most survivable cancers according to the US SEER database of cancers diagnosed between 2005 and 2011.

So, what are the most important factors in determining whether a particular form of cancer has a higher rate of survivability? Lets take a look at 3 of the top factors.

Skin Cancer

Prostate Cancer

When Is A Mole A Problem

If a new or existing mole begins to change shape, color, size, or becomes flaky, crusty, or begins to bleed, it’s time to make an appointment with your dermatologist to get it checked out. A mole can turn into melanoma on rare occasions. In early melanoma, the shape of a mole becomes asymmetrical and uneven.

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Nodular basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that is most often found on the head. This type of cancer starts in basal cells, which are tasked with making new skin cells to push the old ones toward the surface of the skin. Nodular basal cell carcinoma is responsible for 60%-80% of all basal cell carcinomas. In the United States, its estimated that 4.3 million cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed every year, with 2.5 to 3.4 million of those cases being nodular basal cell carcinoma.

This type of cancer appears as a pearl-like papule that is round and surrounded by threadlike red lines on the skin made up of tiny blood vessels. The risk of developing nodular basal cell carcinoma can be increased by spending a lot of time out in the sun, living in high-altitude and sunny locations, and radiation therapy.

Other risk factors include:

• Prolonged exposure to arsenic
• Certain rare genetic disorders such as basal cell nevus syndrome

Although this type of cancer is common, it is highly treatable, and the five-year relative survival rate is 100%.

Also Check: Does Skin Cancer Itch And Burn

New Hope For Beating Skin Cancers Deadliest Form

It starts as a tiny dark spot on your calf or the crook of your neck or your back. Its probably blotchy, like a Rorschach test, and if a doctor notices it, she is likely to take a second look. Id like to examine this one more closely, she might say about the mark on your skin that youd perhaps never even noticed. And its often good news to hear a doctor say that, because if you catch this little mass of dark, feisty cells before they spread, the inkblot cant seep into your body and stain your liver or bones or brain with cancer.

Related Reading

While relatively rare, with 21 new cases per 100,000 people in the United States each year, melanomas are the most dangerous form of skin cancer that humans develop. They begin when melanocytes, cells that produce and contain the pigment melanin and dictate the tone of a persons skin, mutate and start dividing too quickly, forming these telltale blotches. But once a melanoma has advanced from being an isolated group of cells on the skin and has sent scouts to other parts of the body, its notoriously hard to treat, despite its small size.

Gram for gram, melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer, says Stanford dermatologist and melanoma program director Susan Swetter, MD. Differences in survival drop dramatically with only a few millimeters of increased tumor thickness on the skin.

Where Do These Numbers Come From

The American Cancer Society relies on information from the SEER* database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute , to provide survival statistics for different types of cancer.

The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for melanoma skin cancer in the United States, based on how far the cancer has spread. The SEER database, however, does not group cancers by AJCC TNM stages . Instead, it groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages:

• Localized: There is no sign that the cancer has spread beyond the skin where it started.
• Regional: The cancer has spread beyond the skin where it started to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
• Distant: The cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, or skin on other parts of the body.

Also Check: Does Amelanotic Melanoma Blanch When Pressed

Reducing The Cancer Burden

Between 30 and 50% of cancers can currently be prevented by avoiding risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies. The cancer burden can also be reduced through early detection of cancer and appropriate treatment and care of patients who develop cancer. Many cancers have a high chance of cure if diagnosed early and treated appropriately.

Survival Rate For Stage 4 Cancer Depends On Factors Like The Cancer Types Treatments Patient’s Health Condition Etc Work With Your Doctor For Best Results

When one is diagnosed to have Stage IV cancer, the immediate concern is if the person will be able to survive the disease. This concern, also medically known as the prognosis, depends on many factors, including availability of treatment and one’s general health condition. Knowing what stage one’s cancer is mostly determines his probability of surviving based on research. Cancer staging therefore helps the doctor to advise the patient about his condition and what forms of treatment are suitable, and to predict his survival rate in the next few years.

Cancer survival rate refers to the percentage of patients afflicted with a certain form of cancer who survive the disease for a specified amount of time. Statistics often refer to a five-year period where scientific surveys on these patients are based, although these data do not specify whether the patients are still undergoing treatment or are completely cancer-free after five years. An over-all five-year survival rate of 80% would mean that for every 100 patients with the disease, 80 would probably live for at least another five years, and 20 would probably not survive this period of time.

Also Check: Stage 3 Basal Cell Carcinoma Survival Rate

What Do Cancer Survival Rates Mean

When learning about cancer survival rates, its important to keep in mind that these statistics are based on a very large and diverse group of people. Because no two people with squamous cell carcinoma are alike, the general survival rate cannot be used to predict a specific patients outcome. Additionally, survival rates are broad benchmarks. While useful as a baseline point of reference for physicians, this information is not detailed enough to reflect the different treatments people have had, nor is it recent enough to include the results of the latest breakthrough treatments now available to patients through clinical trials .

What Is The Prognosis Of Basal Cell Carcinoma

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The prognosis for patients with BCC is excellent, with a 100% survival rate for cases that have not spread to other sites. Nevertheless, if BCC is allowed to progress, it can result in significant morbidity, and cosmetic disfigurement is not uncommon.

Typically, basal cell tumors enlarge slowly, relentlessly and tend to be locally destructive. Periorbital tumors can invade the orbit, leading to blindness, if diagnosis and treatment are delayed. BCC arising in the medial canthus tends to be deep and invasive and more difficult to manage this type of BCC can result in perineural extension and loss of nerve function.

Although BCC is a malignant neoplasm, it rarely metastasizes. The incidence of metastatic BCC is estimated to be less than 0.1%. The most common sites of metastasis are the lymph nodes, lungs, and bones.

Although treatment is curative in more than 95% of cases, BCC may recur, especially in the first year, or develop in new sites. Therefore, regular skin screenings are recommended.

References

Also Check: Soderstrom Skin Cancer Screening

Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Situ

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DermNet NZ

Squamous cell carcinoma in situ, also known as Bowens disease, is a precancerous condition that appears as a red or brownish patch or plaque on the skin that grows slowly over time. The patches are often found on the legs and lower parts of the body, as well as the head and neck. In rare cases, it has been found on the hands and feet, in the genital area, and in the area around the anus.

Bowens disease is uncommon: only 15 out of every 100,000 people will develop this condition every year. The condition typically affects the Caucasian population, but women are more likely to develop Bowens disease than men. The majority of cases are in adults over 60. As with other skin cancers, Bowens disease can develop after long-term exposure to the sun. It can also develop following radiotherapy treatment. Other causes include immune suppression, skin injury, inflammatory skin conditions, and a human papillomavirus infection.

Bowens disease is generally treatable and doesnt develop into squamous cell carcinoma. Up to 16% of cases develop into cancer.

Can Scc Be Cured

When SCC is found earlyand most aretreatment usually cures this cancer.7 The first choice of treatment is to remove the tumor. Excision or Mohs surgery are used to treat SCCs that are higher risk for recurrence. Mohs surgery offers the highest cure rate for SCC. About 92 percent of SCC can be cured with excision. Curettage and electrodesiccation cures 96% of low-risk tumors.12,13

Having one SCC increases your risk of another separate SCC, so regular follow-up examinations are important.

Recommended Reading: Does Skin Cancer Make You Lose Hair

Risk Factors For Cancers

Tobacco use, alcohol use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution are risk factors for cancer .

Some chronic infections are risk factors for cancer this is a particular issue in low- and middle-income countries. Approximately 13% of cancers diagnosed in 2018 globally were attributed to carcinogenic infections, including Helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus , hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and Epstein-Barr virus .

Hepatitis B and C viruses and some types of HPV increase the risk for liver and cervical cancer, respectively. Infection with HIV substantially increases the risk of cancers such as cervical cancer.

How To Protect Yourself From Melanoma

Fortunately, most melanomas are diagnosed in early, localized stages, says Dr. González, and most patients treated for melanoma make a full recovery. But we do have patients that have ignored that funny looking mole for way too long, and its not uncommon to see cases that have metastasized to other organs, she adds.

Melanoma tends to a very aggressive form of cancer, and it can progress quickly from one stage to another. Says Dr. González: As soon as you see something unusual you should get it checked out, and as soon as you get a diagnosis, you need to be on top of the appropriate treatment.

Risk factors for melanoma include ultraviolet light exposure , having fair skin and light hair, and having a close relative whos also had melanoma. But monitoring skin for abnormal growths and changes is important for everyone, whether or not they are predisposed to skin cancer.

Going to see your board-certified dermatologist yearly and doing regular skin exams may not seem that important, Dr. González says, “but these are the things that could save your life.”

Read Also: Squamous Cell Carcinoma Skin Metastasis