Skin cancer: Incidence and risk factors

Incidence

• Around 15,400 people are diagnosed with melanoma in the UK each year.
• The incidence of malignant melanoma in Britain has risen faster than any other common cancer. Over the last decade, the number of people diagnosed with melanoma in the UK has increased by almost half.
• Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
• 51% of melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK are in males (2% of all male cancer deaths), and 49% are in females (1% of all female cancer deaths).
• Skin cancer becomes more common with age.
• Rates of malignant melanoma are increasing rapidly. Since 1997, there has been an increase of: 155% for over 55s and 63% for under 55s

Risk factors

Significant sun exposure in childhood is the single most important lifestyle risk factor.

Experience of blistering sunburn during childhood/young adulthood doubles the chance of developing melanoma in later life.

Other factors that increase melanoma risk include:

• A history of blistering sunburn: patients with a history of sunburn are more than twice as likely to get melanoma. The higher the number of sunburns, the greater the risk
• Use of sunbeds: the risk is highest for patients who have used a sunbed aged under 35 but use at any age will increase the risk due to the increased exposure to UV light.
• Patients with fair skin, freckling and light hair (skin type I and II) are more susceptible to skin cancer (see below) 
• Presence of atypical/dysplastic nevi including irregular moles that are >5mm diameter with variegate pigmentation
• Previous non-melanoma skin cancer
• Family history of melanoma
• Immun0 suppression for any reason e.g. transplant patient, HIV Skin types

Skin types