UV awareness is crucial to reducing the burden of skin cancer
Source: Clinical Trials Arena, July 2023
Cancer—basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma. Because too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation increases the risk for BCC, SCC, and melanoma—an aggressive form of skin cancer that tends to spread—UV awareness is of high importance. By raising awareness about UV radiation, the population can take measures to protect themselves from this risk. Skin cancer poses a significant public health burden due to its high prevalence, increasing incident cases, and the costs associated with diagnosing, treating, and managing skin cancer.
Epidemiology trends from GlobalData’s Epidemiology and Market Size Database show that diagnosed incident cases for each of the three main types of skin cancer are expected to increase in the US. Diagnosed incident cases of first-ever SCC are expected to increase at an annual growth rate (AGR) of 3% from approximately 750,000 cases in 2023 to 980,000 cases in 2032. Diagnosed incident cases for BCC are projected to increase at an AGR of 0.6% from approximately 2.7 million cases in 2023 to 2.8 million cases in 2031. Diagnosed incident cases of melanoma are predicted to increase at an AGR of 2% from approximately 102,000 cases in 2023 to 113,000 cases in 2029. Additionally, the US has the largest number of diagnosed incident cases of first-ever SCC, BCC, and melanoma compared to the other countries in the seven major markets (7MM: US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and Japan).
Other notable trends seen in skin cancer are age and gender differences in incidence rates. For example, melanoma incidence rates increase with age. Older adults are more likely to develop melanoma due to cumulative sun exposure over their lifetime. In the US, melanoma incidence rates peak at ages 60–79 years. However, the American Academy of Dermatology notes that skin cancer rates are higher in women than in men before age 50, but higher in men after age 50. This may be related to differences in outdoor recreation, work-related UV exposure, use of tanning beds, and sun protection habits.