Nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States: Incidence

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0190-9622(08)81509-5Get rights and content

Because death from nonmelanoma skin cancer is uncommon, quantification of its morbidity is particularly important. Although its incidence is increasing rapidly, the most recent nationwide estimates are 16 years old. The purpose of this study was to estimate the 1994 nonmelanoma skin cancer incidence in the United States. We updated the 16-year-old incidence estimates to reflect the growth and changing age distribution of the population and the increases in age-adjusted incidence rates documented in two population-based studies. The projected 1994 incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States is 900,000 to 1,200,000 cases, similar in magnitude to the overall incidence of noncutaneous cancers. Nonmelanoma skin cancer imposes an enormous public health burden on the U.S. population. Quantification of its morbidity and its prevention are important priorities.

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Supported in part by grant 49531 from the National Cancer Institute and by the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program.

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Ms. Miller is currently a medical student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

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