Melanoma skin cancer survival statistics

Survival

Survive melanoma skin cancer for 10 or more years, 2013-2017, England

Age

Age that melanoma skin cancer survival is highest, 2009-2013, England

 

Improvement

Melanoma skin cancer survival in the UK has doubled in the last 40 years

 

97.5% of males survive melanoma skin cancer for at least one year. This falls to 89.0% surviving for five years or more, as shown by age-standardised net survival for patients diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer during 2013-2017 in England.[1] Survival for females at one year is 98.7% and falls to 93.4% surviving for at least five years. Survival for females is higher than for than for males at one year, and higher than for at five years.

Melanoma skin cancer Age-Standardised One-, Five- and Ten-Year Net Survival, Adults (Aged 15-99), England, 2013-2017

The bar chart shows one- and five-year net survival and predicted ten-year net survival, with 95% confidence intervals. Open a glossary item
 

Melanoma skin cancer survival continues to fall beyond five years after diagnosis. 83.4% of males and 91.2% of females are predicted to survive their disease for ten years or more, as shown by age-standardised net survival for patients diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer during 2013-2017 in England.[1]

See also

Cancer survival statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. Office for National Statistics, Cancer survival by stage at diagnosis for England, 2019.

About this data

Data is for England, 2013 - 2017, ICD-10 C43.

Survival statistics give an overall picture of survival and the survival time experienced by an individual patient may be much higher or lower, depending on specific patient and tumour characteristics.

Last reviewed:

Five-year survival for melanoma skin cancer generally decreases with increasing age. Five-year net survival in men ranges from 91% in 15-39 year-olds to 82% in 80-99 year-olds for patients diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in England during 2009-2013.[1] In women, five-year survival ranges from 97% to 84% in the same age groups.

Melanoma skin cancer (C43), Five-Year Net Survival by Age, England, 2009-2013

See also

Melanoma skin cancer incidence statistics by age

Melanoma skin cancer mortality statistics by age

Cancer survival statistics by age for all cancers in the UK

References

  1. Office for National Statistics. Cancer survival in England: adults diagnosed in 2009 to 2013, followed up to 2014. Newport: ONS; 2015.

About this data

Data is for: England, 2009-2013, ICD-10 C43

Last reviewed:

As with most cancers, survival for melanoma skin cancer is improving. One-year age-standardised Open a glossary item net survival for melanoma skin cancer in men has increased from 75% during 1971-1972 to 97% during 2010-2011 in England and Wales – an absolute survival difference Open a glossary item of 22 percentage points.[1] In women, one-year survival has increased from 87% to 98% over the same time period (a difference of 11 percentage points). Part of the increase in both sexes will be due to increased awareness and earlier diagnosis of the disease as a result of public heath campaigns such as SunSmart; likewise, several studies have reported increasing proportions of thin, early stage tumours in recent years.[2-4]

Melanoma skin cancer (C43), Age-Standardised One-Year Net Survival, Adults (Aged 15-99), England and Wales, 1971-2011

Five- and ten-year survival has increased by an even greater amount than one-year survival since the early 1970s. Five-year age-standardised net survival for melanoma skin cancer in men has increased from 40% during 1971-1972 to a predicted survival of 88% during 2010-2011 in England and Wales – an absolute survival difference of 47 percentage points.[1] In women, five-year survival has increased from 61% to 92% over the same time period (a difference of 32 percentage points).

Melanoma skin cancer (C43), Age-Standardised Five-Year Net Survival, Adults (Aged 15-99), England and Wales, 1971-2011

Five-year survival for 2010-2011 is predicted using an excess hazard statistical model

Ten-year age-standardised net survival for melanoma skin cancer in men has increased from 35% during 1971-1972 to a predicted survival of 86% during 2010-2011 in England and Wales – an absolute survival difference of 51 percentage points.[1] In women, ten-year survival has increased from 55% to 92% over the same time period (a difference of 38 percentage points). Overall, 9 in 10 people diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer today are predicted to survive their disease for at least ten years.

Melanoma skin cancer (C43), Age-Standardised Ten-Year Net Survival, Adults (Aged 15-99), England and Wales, 1971-2011

Ten-year survival for 2005-2006 and 2010-2011 is predicted using an excess hazard statistical model

See also

Melanoma skin cancer incidence trends over time

Melanoma skin cancer mortality trends over time

Cancer survival statistics for common cancers in the UK

References

  1. Data were provided by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on request, 2014.
  2. MacKie RM, Bray CA, Hole DJ, et al. Incidence of and survival from malignant melanoma in Scotland: an epidemiological study. Lancet 2002; 360:587-91.
  3. Downing A, Newton-Bishop JA, Forman D. Recent trends in cutaneous malignant melanoma in the Yorkshire region of England; incidence, mortality and survival in relation to stage of disease, 1993-2003. Br J Cancer 2006; 95:91-5.
  4. Murray CS, Stockton DL, Doherty VR. Thick melanoma: the challenge persists. Br J Dermatol 2005; 152:104-9.

About this data

Data is for: England and Wales, 1971-2011, ICD-10 C43

Last reviewed:

Survival for melanoma skin cancer is strongly related to stage of the disease at diagnosis.

One-year net survival by stage 

One-year net survival for melanoma skin cancer is highest for patients diagnosed at Stage 1, and lowest for those diagnosed at Stage 4, as 2013-2017 data for England show.[1] 100% of patients diagnosed at Stage 1 survived their disease for at least one year, compared to 53% of patients diagnosed at Stage 4.[1]

One year net survival for unknown or missing stage is 95%. Lack of staging information may in some cases reflect advanced stage at diagnosis as very unwell patients may not undergo staging tests if the invasiveness of the testing outweighs the potential benefit of obtaining stage information. Incomplete staging assessment may also be associated with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the patient [2]. Stage completeness for melanoma skin cancer was 92% in 2013-2017 [1].

One-year net survival is similar between the sexes at all stages.

Net survival can be greater than 100% because it accounts for background mortality. Net survival greater than 100% indicates that patients in this group have a better chance of surviving one year after diagnosis compared with the general population.

Melanoma skin cancer one-year net survival by stage, with incidence by stage (all data: adults diagnosed 2013-2017, followed up to 2018)

Five-year net survival by stage 

Five-year net survival for melanoma skin cancer shows a much larger difference in survival between Stages 1 and 3. In females, five-year net survival ranges from 100% at Stage 1 to 74% at Stage 3. In males, five-year net survival ranges from 99% at Stage 1 to 68% at Stage 3 for patients diagnosed during 2013-2017 in England.[1]

Melanoma skin cancer five-year net survival by stage, with incidence by stage (all data: adults diagnosed 2013-2017, followed up to 2018)

References

  1. Office for National Statistics, Cancer survival by stage at diagnosis for England, 2019.
  2. Girolamo, C. et al, Characteristics of patients with missing information on stage: a population-based study of patients diagnosed with a colon, lung or breast cancer in England in 2013, BMC Cancer (2018) 18:492

About this data

Data is for: England, 2013 - 2017, ICD-10 C43.

Survival statistics give an overall picture of survival but the survival time experienced by an individual patient may be much higher or lower, depending on specific patient and tumour characteristics.

Last reviewed:

Five-year relative survival for melanoma skin cancer in men in England (81%) is above the average for Europe (79%). Scotland (84%) and Northern Ireland (86%) are also above the European average but Wales (74%) is below the European average.[1] Across the European countries for which data is available, five-year relative survival in men ranges from 41% (Bulgaria) to 89% (Switzerland).[1]

Five-year relative survival for melanoma skin cancer in women in England (89%) is above the average for Europe (87%). Scotland (92%) and Northern Ireland (95%) are also above the European average but Wales (85%) is below the European average.[1] Across the European countries for which data is available, five-year relative survival in women ranges from 59% (Bulgaria) to 95% (Northern Ireland).[1]

Melanoma Skin Cancer (C44.0-C44.9), Age-Standardised Five-Year Relative Survival, Adults (Aged 15+), European Countries, 2000-2007

Data consists of both observed and predicted 5-year relative survival. Where sufficient follow-up was not available for recently diagnosed patients the period approach was used to predict 5-year cohort survival.

Possible explanations for persistent international differences in survival include differences in cancer biology, use of diagnostic tests and screening, stage at diagnosis, access to high-quality care, and data collection practices.[1]

See also

Cancer diagnosis and treatment

Melanoma skin cancer incidence

References

  1. De Angelis R, Sant M, Coleman MP, et al. Cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007 by country and age: results of EUROCARE-5 – a population-based study. Lancet Oncol 2014;15:23-34

About this data

Data is for: 29 European countries, patients diagnosed in 2000-2007 and followed up to 2008, melanoma of skin (C44.0-C44.9).

Last reviewed:

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.