QUICK LINKS
Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017
2017 MELANOMA FACTS & STATS
- Melanoma is a very serious and potentially deadly form of skin cancer and is one of the few cancers with incidence rates on the rise.
- Melanoma is one of the most common cancer types found in young adults aged 15-29[i].
- The survival rate for melanoma is high if it is detected early and unlike many cancers, melanoma is often clearly visible on the skin.
- Approximately 7,300 (4,000 males and 3,300 females) Canadians were newly diagnosed with melanoma in 2017[ii].
- 790 males and 450 females died from melanoma in 2017[iii].
- Melanoma can affect anyone regardless of sex, age or race.
- The leading cause of melanoma is overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or artificial sources (tanning beds, sunlamps)[iv].
- A single blistering sunburn before the age of 20 increases the risk of developing melanoma later in life.
- UV exposure can lead to skin damage such as early wrinkling and photoaging.(v)
- Artificial tanning devices emit 15x the amount of UV rays as from sun exposure (vi)
- One indoor tanning session can increase the risk of skin cancer (Ontario Sun Safety Working Group)
- Outdoor workers are up to 2.5 to 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancers (Ontario Sun Safety Working Group)
7,323 Canadians will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2017
Melanoma is the 7th most common cancer diagnosed
With the rising number of new cancer cases, there will be a corresponding increase in the need for screening, diagnostics, treatment and support services, including palliative care. It will also be important to promptly develop strategies to address the cancers that are showing significant increases in incidence rates, such as liver, thyroid and melanoma.
Note: Actual incidence data were available to 2013 for all provinces and territories except Quebec, for which data were available to 2010 and projected thereafter. “All cancers” excludes non-melanoma skin cancer (neoplasms, NOS; epithelial neoplasms, NOS; and basal and squamous). The complete definition of the specific cancers included here can be found in Table A2. Rates are age-standardized to the 2011 Canadian population. For further details, see Appendix II: Data sources and methods.
Incidence rates of melanoma have increased in both males and females over the past several decades. Between 1992 and 2013 incidence rates increased by 2.1% per year in males and 2.0% per year in females.
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation through exposure to sunlight, tanning beds and sun lamps appears to be a major risk factor for melanoma. Other risk factors include having a fair complexion, the number and type of moles, personal and family history of skin cancer, a weakened immune system and a history of severe blistering sunburns.
Note: Actual mortality data were available to 2012. The complete definition of the specific cancers included here can be found in Table A2. Rates are agestandardized to the 2011 Canadian population. For further details, see Appendix II: Data sources and methods.
Percentage of mortality rates of melanoma by gender
64% male
36% female
Projected deaths for melanoma by gender, Canada, 2017
1 in 241 males
1 in 397 females
Melanoma is one of the most common cancer deaths for youth aged 15-29. It accounts for 4% of all cancer deaths
Tumour-based prevalence for melanoma by duration and gender, Canada,* January 1, 2009
10-year (diagnosed since 1999) 19,895 males | 19,600 females
5-year (diagnosed since 2004) 11,985 males | 11,380 females
2-year (diagnosed since 2007) 5,530 males | 5,105 females
* During the estimation process, cases from Quebec were excluded because of issues in correctly ascertaining the vital status of cases. The presented estimates, however, are for all of Canada, including Quebec. These estimates assume that sex- and age-specific tumour-based prevalence proportions in Quebec are similar to the rest of Canada.
Melanoma accounts for 3% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases, and represents 5% of all 10-year prevalent cancer cases.
Five-year age-standardized net and observed survival percentages for melanoma by sex, for ages 15–99 in Canada (excluding Quebec), 2006–2008
A
Five-year age-standardized net survival for melanoma on having survived the specified number of years, ages 15–99 in Canada (excluding Quebec), 2006–2008
A
Note: Net survival is estimated using age-standardized relative survival ratios. For further details, see Appendix II: Data sources and methods. For each cancer in turn, the age distribution of persons recorded as being diagnosed with the given cancer in Canada from 2004–2008 was used as the standard. “All cancers” excludes adolescent (15–19 years) bone cancers, which are dissimilar to those diagnosed in older adults, and non-melanoma skin cancers (neoplasms, NOS; epithelial neoplasms, NOS; and basal and squamous).
Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017 Report Download
REFRENCES
Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017. Produced by Canadian Cancer Society, Statistics Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, Provincial/Territorial Cancer Registries cancer.ca/statistics. Available at: https://goo.gl/ZxY9ht
Canadian Cancer Society. Melanoma Overview. Available at: http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/skin-melanoma/overview/.
[i] Canadian Cancer Society’s Advisory. Committee on Cancer Statistics. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society; 2017.Available at: https://goo.gl/q7m9tB [ii] Canadian Cancer Society’s Advisory. Committee on Cancer Statistics. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society; 2017. Available at: https://goo.gl/ZxY9ht [iii] Canadian Cancer Society’s Advisory. Committee on Cancer Statistics. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society; 2017. Available at: https://goo.gl/q7m9tB[iv] Melanoma Network of Canada. “Fact Summary.” Available at: https://www.melanomanetwork.ca/melanoma/ Accessed on Nov. 18, 2016.
(v) (IARC Working Group on Risk of Skin Cancer and Exposure to Artificial Ultraviolet Light, International Agency for Research on Cancer (Eds.).Exposure to Artificial UV Radiation and Skin Cancer. Lyon, France: World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2006.; Yam JCS, Kwok AKH. Ultraviolet light and ocular diseases. Int Ophthalmol 2014;34(2):383–400. PMID: 23722672).
(vi) (Gerber, B., Mathys, P., Moser, M., Bressoud, D., & Braun-Fahrländer, C. (2002). Ultraviolet emission spectra of sunbeds. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 76(6), 664-668).