• Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers - Prevention
• Highlights
• Introduction
• Melanoma
• Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
• Precancerous Skin Conditions
• Causes

Risk Factors

According to the American Cancer Societythe lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 2% (1 in 50) for whites, 0.1% (1 in 1,000) for blacks, and 0.5% (1 in 200) for Hispanics. The number of melanoma cases has been increasing over the past 30 years.

Survival rates have been improving, however, and the increase in melanomas has occurred mainly with less aggressive forms of the disease. Some experts believe this is due to earlier diagnosis and increased awareness of the disease,...