Melanoma Death Rate Falls in U.S. Despite Rising Cases

According to data published by the National Institutes of Health, while cases for melanoma of the skin have continued to climb over recent years (up from 14.6 cases per 100,000 in 1992 to 24.4 cases per 100,000 in 2022), death rates have fallen. This was particularly notable between 2013 and 2017, when rates fell from 2.7 deaths per 100,000 to 2.1 deaths per 100,000. According to the American Cancer Society, this was largely due to advances in treatment. Between 2019-22, the death rate then leveled out to around 2.0 deaths per 100,000 people. The following chart shows the observed rate of cases rather than the modeled rate, which could explain the dip in the reporting of cases during the Covid-19 pandemic.