Melanoma vs Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer – Recent Study

A recent study being presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Neurology Congress 2023 is reporting that there are now more global deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers than melanoma itself.  While non-melanomas are less deadly than melanomas, their prevalence is so high that the number of deaths is higher.  For example: in 2020, there were nearly 1.2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer worldwide compared to 324,635 cases of melanoma – though the latter has a higher death rate, the non-melanoma version has ended more lives.

Dr. Green is quoted various times in the article by Medical News Today – mentioning that “this study provides a fascinating insight into global skin cancer incidence and mortality rates. Interestingly, dermatologists’ availability within a given area had no correlations with melanoma incidence or mortality rates, suggesting that other factors besides dermatologist density successfully decrease mortality-to-incidence ratios.”

As for options if diagnosed?  “Two surgical options for treatment include excision and Mohs surgery,” Green said. “During excision surgery, the area is numbed and a biopsy is removed and sent to a laboratory to ensure no remaining cancer is left. Mohs surgery involves the removal of the lesion one layer at a time. As a layer is removed, a pathologist reviews the layer for abnormal cells, and the process is repeated until no abnormal cells are present in the tissue.”  She talks about these options, topical creams such as fluorouracil, and other options overall for those diagnosed with it, but of course like every dermatologist, prevention is recommended first.

Learn more about the study of non-melanoma skin cancer here.