Melanoma Facts
- Melanoma is now the world’s fastest-growing cancer, the incidence has doubled since 1982.
- Melanoma claims one life per hour in the US.
- Melanoma is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women age 29-34.
- Melanoma is one of the most genetically complex cancers.
- Melanoma currently costs over $2.65 billion in treatment expenses per year but remains severely underfunded in terms of research.
- Since 2011, there have been rapid new improvements in treatment options, there are now 17 FDA-approved therapies for metastatic melanoma. But many have long-term benefit only for a patient minority, often far below 30%. And high toxicity rates lead to upwards of 50% discontinued use.
- The mortality rate remains fairly static despite advances in immuno and targeted therapies.
- There is a real need for better tools to gauge susceptibility.
- More effective options for prevention, diagnosis, and prognosis are urgently needed if personalized treatment is ever to become a reality.
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in treatment expenses, but underfunded for research