Skin Cancer survival statistics

This page presents malignant melanoma survival statistics including five year survival by tumour thickness and age and sex. Over the last twenty-five years, survival from malignant melanoma has continually improved as Figure 3.1 shows for England and Wales. 1, 2

Skin cancer survival statistics:

 
 

Malignant melanoma - Five-year survival rates

The latest estimates of five-year relative survival for patients diagnosed in 2000-01 is 78% for men and 91% for women. Survival rates are even higher in Scotland, with a 5 year relative rate of 85% for men diagnosed in 1997-2001 and 94% for women. 3 Rates are consistently higher for women than men.

Figure 3.1: Five-year age-standarised survival for patients aged 15-99 diagnosed with malignant melanoma, by sex, England and Wales, 1971-2001

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Malignant melanoma - Five-year survival rates by tumour thickness

The most powerful prognostic factor for melanoma patients is the thickness of the tumour with highest survival for the thinnest tumours ( Figure 3.2). 4

Figure 3.2: Five- year survival by tumour thickness, patients diagnosed 1979-1998, by sex, Scotland

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Malignant melanoma - Five-year survival rates by age and sex

Younger patients tend to have higher survival rates than older patients as shown in Figure 3.3 for England and Wales.

Figure 3.3:Five-year relative survival for patients diagnosed with malignant melanoma by age and sex, England and Wales, 1986-1990

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Substantial differences in survival between deprivation groups have also been recorded: for male patients diagnosed in 1996-1999 in England and Wales, five-year survival was 7% higher in the most affluent compared to the least affluent groups. 5

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References for skin cancer survival

  1.  Coleman, M., P. Babb, and P. Damiecki, Cancer Survival Trends in England and Wales, 1971-1995: Deprivation and NHS Region. 1999: TSO.
  2.  Coleman, M.P., et al. Trends and socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival in England and Wales up to 2001. Br J Cancer, 2004. 90(7): p. 1367-73
  3.  ISD Online. Cancer Incidence and Mortality data. Accessed 2005
  4.  MacKie, R.M., et al. Incidence of and survival from malignant melanoma in Scotland: an epidemiological study. Lancet, 2002. 360(9333): p. 587-91
  5.  Coleman, M.P., et al., Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival in England and Wales. Cancer, 2001. 91(1 Suppl): p. 208-16.