May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Please join with the AACR to find better ways to prevent and treat skin cancer and melanoma

The skin cancer category includes melanoma, basal cell skin cancer, and squamous cell skin cancer. 

Skin cancer other than melanoma is a very common cancer in the United States. More than 5 million people receive such a diagnosis each year. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which are nonmelanoma skin cancers, are the most common types of skin cancer. Nonmelanoma skin cancers rarely spread to other parts of the body. 

Melanoma, however, is an aggressive form of skin cancer. It is more likely to invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body than the more common forms of skin cancer.

According to estimates made from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, 100,640 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma and about 8,290 people will die of the disease in 2024. 

Melanoma is more common in men than women and among individuals of fair complexion. Unusual moles, exposure to natural sunlight or artificial sunlight (such as from tanning beds) over long periods of time, and health history can affect the risk of melanoma.

Melanoma usually occurs in the skin. But it also occurs in mucous membranes, the thin, moist layers of tissue that cover surfaces such as the lips. If melanoma occurs in the eye, it’s called ocular or uveal melanoma.

One Person’s Story

Alan Kaufman is an avid runner who participated in the New York City Marathon every year from 1992 to 2016, but was then diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. His treatment included surgery, radiation, and immunotherapy. On Believe In Progress: An AACR Foundation Podcast, Alan reflects on the recovery process, both physical and emotional, and how his love of running played a pivotal role in his journey.

The latest on melanoma and skin cancer

  • Lifileucel became the first tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy approved for clinical use when FDA cleared it for unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Learn more about the decades of research behind this therapy on the official AACR blog, Cancer Research Catalyst.
  • Doctors consider post-surgery immunotherapy the standard of care for advanced melanoma. Now there’s research indicating that immunotherapy can be very beneficial when given before surgery, causing tumors to disappear in some cases. Read more in Cancer Today magazine: Consider Immunotherapy Before Surgery for Melanoma
  • Cancer Research Catalyst, the AACR blog, highlights recent research in melanoma: “Look Who’s Talking: How Electrical Communication Drives Melanoma.”
  • Johnny Borgstrom of Cabin, Oklahoma, received a diagnosis of an aggressive form of melanoma, but he became cancer-free after an investigational treatment with immunotherapeutics known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Read his story in the AACR’s Cancer Progress Report 2022.

What the AACR Is Doing in Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research

The AACR has supported several researchers for their work in the field of melanoma and skin cancer: 

  • 2022 AACR-Bristol Myers Squibb Midcareer Female Investigator Grant: Amanda W. Lund, PhD, New York University School of Medicine
  • 2022 AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Career Development Award, in Honor of Robert C. Allen, MD: Shaheer Khan, DO, Columbia University Medical Center
  • 2020 AACR-The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research “Science of the Patient” (SOP) Grant: Liuqing Yang, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
  • 2020 AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award: Kaysia Ludford, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

for more information

Please see our page on melanoma and skin cancer for more information on these diseases and their prevention, screening, and treatment.