Melanoma caused an estimated 1.3% of all cancer deaths in the US in 2024. When detected early, the five-year survival rate for localized cases is 99%, but this plummets to 27% for metastatic disease. This article presents the latest statistics on incidence, detection, and evolving treatment options.
Key Takeaways
- US (2024): Melanoma accounts for 1.3% of all cancer deaths (estimated)
- Australia (2021): 1,559 deaths from melanoma of the skin were estimated
- GLOBOCAN 2020: Melanoma was the 19th most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide
- Early detection benefit: localized melanoma 5-year relative survival is 99% vs 27% for distant metastatic disease (SEER)
- Melanoma is increasingly diagnosed: incidence has been rising over decades in many countries; US incidence per 100,000 increased from 15.0 in 2000 to 22.8 in 2019 (SEER*Explorer trend estimates)
- USPSTF (2016): For counseling interventions aimed at high-risk adults, the recommendation states evidence is lacking for overall benefit; it does not recommend routine screening for low-risk asymptomatic adults
- Melanoma staging: the AJCC 8th edition includes Breslow thickness and ulceration status used to determine T category for prognosis
- CDC (2017–2021): 5-year relative survival for melanoma ranges by stage, with distant-stage survival markedly lower than localized disease
- 2023: The global melanoma therapeutics market was valued at $5.7 billion and is projected to reach $12.1 billion by 2030 (vendor report estimate)
- NCCN/ASCO guideline-driven spend: In 2020, immune checkpoint inhibitors accounted for 36% of cancer drug approvals in the US (drug-approval analysis including checkpoint inhibitors used in melanoma)
- Teledermatology market size: one report estimates the global teledermatology market at $1.5 billion in 2023, with melanoma triage as a key use case (vendor report)
- Key targeted therapy: BRAF V600 mutation occurs in about 40%–50% of melanomas (reviewed in major dermatology literature)
- In KEYNOTE-054, pembrolizumab as adjuvant therapy reduced risk of recurrence or death by 38% vs placebo in resected stage III melanoma (hazard ratio 0.62)
- In CheckMate 067, nivolumab plus ipilimumab improved median overall survival to 72.1 months vs 36.9 months with nivolumab alone in advanced melanoma (trial)
- 3.3% of all cancer deaths in the US were from melanoma in 2024 (estimated share of cancer mortality)
Survival depends on early detection and risk rising, while targeted and immunotherapy are transforming melanoma care.
Related reading
01 · Category
Epidemiology3 stats
01
US (2024): Melanoma accounts for 1.3% of all cancer deaths (estimated)
02
Australia (2021): 1,559 deaths from melanoma of the skin were estimated
03
GLOBOCAN 2020: Melanoma was the 19th most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide
Interpretation
Epidemiology Interpretation
From an epidemiology standpoint, melanoma may look relatively uncommon in death share at 1.3% of all estimated cancer deaths in the US in 2024, yet it still produced 1,559 estimated deaths in Australia in 2021 and was the 19th most diagnosed cancer worldwide in GLOBOCAN 2020, showing a consistent global health burden.
02 · Category
Screening & Detection9 stats
01
Early detection benefit: localized melanoma 5-year relative survival is 99% vs 27% for distant metastatic disease (SEER)
02
Melanoma is increasingly diagnosed: incidence has been rising over decades in many countries; US incidence per 100,000 increased from 15.0 in 2000 to 22.8 in 2019 (SEER*Explorer trend estimates)
03
USPSTF (2016): For counseling interventions aimed at high-risk adults, the recommendation states evidence is lacking for overall benefit; it does not recommend routine screening for low-risk asymptomatic adults
04
Germany (screening program data): In some settings, targeted skin cancer screening detects melanomas at thinner Breslow thickness, contributing to improved survival (application reported in program evaluations)
05
A randomized trial found that store-and-forward teledermatology increased biopsy-confirmed melanoma detection in screened patients; 2.1% of teledermatology referrals resulted in melanoma diagnosis
06
A large systematic review (2019) found that dermoscopy improves diagnostic accuracy for melanoma compared with naked-eye examination; pooled sensitivity was higher with dermoscopy
07
A meta-analysis (2012) estimated that total body photography plus mole monitoring can increase melanoma detection rates compared with usual care strategies (pooled detection benefit reported)
08
Self-examination: A US survey analysis (NHIS-based) reported that about 39% of adults reported ever doing skin self-exams (2010s estimates in published secondary analysis)
09
52% of basal cell carcinoma, 48% of squamous cell carcinoma, and 21% of melanoma lesions were diagnosed using Mohs micrographic surgery in a US Medicare analysis (share of selected NMSC/melanoma diagnoses)
Interpretation
Screening & Detection Interpretation
From a screening and detection perspective, the survival gap is striking with localized melanoma showing a 99% 5 year relative survival compared with 27% for distant metastatic disease, underscoring why catching melanomas earlier is increasingly critical as incidence rises and tools like dermoscopy and teledermatology are improving detection accuracy and biopsy confirmed cases.
03 · Category
Risk & Outcomes2 stats
01
Melanoma staging: the AJCC 8th edition includes Breslow thickness and ulceration status used to determine T category for prognosis
02
CDC (2017–2021): 5-year relative survival for melanoma ranges by stage, with distant-stage survival markedly lower than localized disease
Interpretation
Risk & Outcomes Interpretation
Because AJCC 8th edition prognosis relies on Breslow thickness and ulceration status while CDC data show 5 year relative survival drops sharply from localized to distant stages, risk rises dramatically as tumors progress, underscoring why accurate staging drives outcomes in melanoma.
04 · Category
Market & Spend6 stats
01
2023: The global melanoma therapeutics market was valued at $5.7 billion and is projected to reach $12.1 billion by 2030 (vendor report estimate)
02
NCCN/ASCO guideline-driven spend: In 2020, immune checkpoint inhibitors accounted for 36% of cancer drug approvals in the US (drug-approval analysis including checkpoint inhibitors used in melanoma)
03
Teledermatology market size: one report estimates the global teledermatology market at $1.5 billion in 2023, with melanoma triage as a key use case (vendor report)
04
Global skin cancer treatment market: one report estimates $2.7 billion in 2022 for skin cancer therapeutics including melanoma (vendor estimate)
05
In the US, immunotherapy for melanoma is a major driver of high-cost specialty drug spend; specialty drug costs account for 45% of total drug spending (IMS/IQVIA analysis, covering specialty drugs including checkpoint inhibitors)
06
Research investment: NCI awarded more than $5 billion annually to cancer research across US; melanoma is a major component of NCI-funded grants (NCI budget document)
Interpretation
Market & Spend Interpretation
Market and spend signals are rising fast as the global melanoma therapeutics market grows from $5.7 billion in 2023 to a projected $12.1 billion by 2030 while immunotherapy remains a major cost driver in the US, with immune checkpoint inhibitors representing 36% of US cancer drug approvals in 2020.
05 · Category
Therapies & Trials11 stats
01
Key targeted therapy: BRAF V600 mutation occurs in about 40%–50% of melanomas (reviewed in major dermatology literature)
02
In KEYNOTE-054, pembrolizumab as adjuvant therapy reduced risk of recurrence or death by 38% vs placebo in resected stage III melanoma (hazard ratio 0.62)
03
In CheckMate 067, nivolumab plus ipilimumab improved median overall survival to 72.1 months vs 36.9 months with nivolumab alone in advanced melanoma (trial)
04
In COMBI-d (dabrafenib + trametinib) for BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma, the median overall survival was 25.1 months (trial result)
05
Adjuvant dabrafenib + trametinib (COMBI-AD) reduced risk of recurrence or death by 53% vs placebo in resected stage III BRAF V600-mutant melanoma (hazard ratio 0.47)
06
Adjuvant nivolumab (CheckMate 238) reduced risk of recurrence or death by 34% vs ipilimumab in resected stage IIIB–IV melanoma (hazard ratio 0.66 at interim analysis)
07
BRAF-targeted therapy response rates: Combination BRAF/MEK therapy achieves objective response rates around 50%–60% in BRAF V600-mutant metastatic melanoma (meta-analytic consensus)
08
In advanced melanoma, immunotherapy can produce durable responses: in KEYNOTE-001, the 2-year overall survival rate with pembrolizumab was 60% (trial cohort analysis)
09
In CheckMate 029 (nivolumab), objective response rate was 25% in melanoma patients (trial report)
10
Relative reduction: Anti–PD-1 therapy improved survival in melanoma compared with chemotherapy in meta-analysis; pooled hazard ratio for overall survival favored PD-1 (systematic review estimate)
11
Clinical evidence: Atezolizumab plus cobimetinib is being studied in combination strategies; one phase II melanoma study reported objective response rate of 31% (trial report)
Interpretation
Therapies & Trials Interpretation
Across major Therapies & Trials, modern immunotherapies and targeted treatments are clearly improving outcomes, with adjuvant pembrolizumab cutting recurrence or death by 38% and adjuvant nivolumab by 34%, while for BRAF V600 melanomas the COMBI-d regimen reports a 25.1 month median overall survival and adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib reduces recurrence or death by 53%.
More related reading
06 · Category
Disease Burden1 stats
01
3.3% of all cancer deaths in the US were from melanoma in 2024 (estimated share of cancer mortality)
Interpretation
Disease Burden Interpretation
In 2024, melanoma accounted for 3.3% of all cancer deaths in the US, underscoring its meaningful disease burden within the broader landscape of cancer mortality.
07 · Category
Clinical Pathways1 stats
01
84% of melanoma patients in a US claims-based analysis received guideline-concordant molecular testing for targeted therapy eligibility (molecular testing adherence estimate)
Interpretation
Clinical Pathways Interpretation
In the Clinical Pathways context, 84% of melanoma patients in a US claims-based analysis received guideline-concordant molecular testing for targeted therapy eligibility, indicating that most patients are being routed through recommended diagnostic steps.
08 · Category
Molecular Epidemiology1 stats
01
KIT mutations occur in about 1%–3% of melanomas (prevalence range in clinical cohorts)
Interpretation
Molecular Epidemiology Interpretation
In molecular epidemiology, KIT mutations show up in roughly 1% to 3% of melanomas in clinical cohorts, indicating that this driver is a relatively uncommon but identifiable genetic subtype within the broader disease population.
09 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
The global skin cancer therapeutics market including melanoma was valued at $2.7 billion in 2022 (market size estimate)
02
The global teledermatology market was valued at $1.5 billion in 2023 (market size estimate)
03
The global melanoma therapeutics market was $5.7 billion in 2023 (market size estimate)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a market size perspective, melanoma is embedded in a rapidly expanding landscape where the melanoma therapeutics market reached $5.7 billion in 2023 and sits alongside broader skin cancer therapeutics at $2.7 billion in 2022 and teledermatology growth to $1.5 billion in 2023.
report visual · Comparison
Melanoma’s share and survival gap
Melanoma represents a small share of cancer deaths, but survival differs dramatically by stage—localized disease has very high 5-year relative survival compared with distant metastatic disease.
Early detection benefit: localized melanoma 5-year relative survival is 99% vs 27% for distant metastatic disease (SEER)99%
3.3% of all cancer deaths in the US were from melanoma in 2024 (estimated share of cancer mortality)
3.3%
US (2024): Melanoma accounts for 1.3% of all cancer deaths (estimated)
1.3%
source-verifiedacsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com · seer.cancer.gov2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Melanoma Skin Cancer Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/melanoma-skin-cancer-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Melanoma Skin Cancer Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/melanoma-skin-cancer-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Melanoma Skin Cancer Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/melanoma-skin-cancer-statistics.
Sources & references
37 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)