US Pharm. 2013;38(6):22.

The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Cancer Statistics Review reported that, in 2012, slightly more than twice as many men than women would be diagnosed with skin cancer (excluding basal and squamous cell), and that 15% of patients would die from it. From 2005 to 2009, the median age at diagnosis was 61 years; the median age at death from skin cancer was 70 years. Five-year survival was 90.7%, which translated to 93% for white women, 88.3% for white men, 85.4% for black women, and 80.6% for black men.

Nonepithelial Skin Cancer: Patients with nonepithelial skin cancer were a median age of 71 years at diagnosis and 77 years at death. While the incidence rate of nonepithelial skin cancer among white men was twice that of white women (2.9 and 1.4 per 100,000 men and women, respectively), the mortality rate was four times higher in men (1.6 and 0.4 per 100,000 men and women, respectively). The lowest rates of incidence and mortality occurred in Asian/Pacific Islanders (0.8 and 0.3 per 100,000, respectively).

Melanoma of the Skin: The SEER review estimated that this form of cancer affected 76,250 people (58% men) in 2012, and that 9,180 patients would die from it. Median ages at diagnosis of and death from skin melanoma were 61 and 68 years, respectively. The incidence of skin melanoma was notably higher among white men and women, although women were 38% less likely to develop the disease. There was little difference in prevalence between men and women of other racial and ethnic groups. The mortality rate among white men was more than double that of white women. Five-year survival rates were 93.4% for white women, 88.9% for white men, 78.5% for black women, and 62.5% for black men.

Cutaneous Lymphoma: As opposed to lymphomas that originate in the lymph nodes or other parts of the body and spread to the skin, cutaneous lymphoma arises only in the skin. Cutaneous lymphoma affected disproportionately more white and black men (46%) than white and black women, but among Hispanic individuals, the disparity was much lower (27%). Hispanic men outnumbered Hispanic women by 46%, whereas white and black men had a difference of 61% and 70%, respectively. In the skin, T-cell lymphoma is more common than B-cell lymphoma. The highest incidence of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma was among white men, who were 70% more likely than white women to have it, but the disease was 44% more likely in black men than in black women.

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