Incidence:

• Melanoma is in epidemic growth at ~ 3% rise in cases per year

• 53,000+ new cases reported yearly / 7800+ deaths yearly

• Melanoma risk: (1935) 1:1500; (1960) 1:600; (1985) 1:150; (2000) 1:74
  Fastest growing cancer currently in USA and worldwide

• Most common cancer in young adults aged 20-30
  Currently MORE new cases of melanoma than HIV/AIDS

• Women age 25-30: melanoma = primary cause of cancer death

• Women age 30-35: melanoma = #2 cause of death (after breast cancer)

• Melanoma = 5% of all skin cancers / 71% all skin cancer deaths

• Melanoma does occur in ALL age groups – including Pediatric age groups

Causes:

• Mechanism of initiation of melanoma from normal skin = unknown

• No specific genetic locus yet identified

• Primary skin lesion sometimes never found (or is “amelanotic” = non-pigmented)

• Multiple risk factors exist for the development of melanoma including:

• UV exposure (especially 1 or more blistering sunburns in childhood)

• Moles – especially atypical or dysplastic moles

• Increase risk if person has greater than 50 moles

Survival:

(from AJCC 2002 Revised Melanoma Staging / Survival data)

• Survival when superficial melanoma is found and diagnosed early

• Diagnosis: in situ melanoma (Stage 0)

• 5 year survival = 100%; 10 year survival = 100%

• Survival when melanoma no longer superficial (Advanced stage melanoma)

• Diagnosis: melanoma in lymph nodes (Stage III disease)

• 5 year survival: IIIA (single/multiple nodes + non-ulcerated primary)= 63-69%

• 5 year survival: IIIC (single/multiple nodes + ulcerated primary) = 24-29%

• 10 year survival: IIIA = 57-63%; IIIC = 15-24%
  Diagnosis: melanoma now disseminated to major organs (Stage IV disease)

• 5 year survival: 7-9%; 10 year survival = 3-6%

• No significant advances in medical therapies (or survival) for patients with advanced

• Melanoma have occurred in the past 30 years

• Melanoma currently ranks #8 on the NCI Research Funding for Cancer list

Fonte: www.melanoma.org