Health and Economic Benefits of Skin Cancer Interventions

At a glance

  • Each year in the United States, nearly 6 million people are treated for skin cancer.
  • The annual medical costs of treating skin cancer is $8.9 billion.
  • Using proven interventions to prevent skin cancer, especially melanoma, can save money and improve quality of life.
Mother on beach with two young children, all wearing hats and long sleeves

Skin cancer in the United States

Each year in the United States, an estimated 6.1 million people are treated for skin cancer,1 and the number of new cases continues to grow.23

The most common types of skin cancer—basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma—are usually treatable,4 but treatment is expensive and can leave scars.15 Melanoma is the third most common type of skin cancer and is much more deadly.24

Quick facts

Most skin cancers are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and indoor tanning devices.4

  • 90,365 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in 2021, and 8,214 people died of it in 2022.2
  • About two-thirds of high school students and nearly one-third of adults get sunburned at least once each year.6
  • Even though use of tanning beds has declined in recent years, about 900,000 high school students7 and 7.8 million adults8 continue to engage in this activity.
  • Sunburn and use of tanning beds are most common among non-Hispanic White people.6 This group also has the highest rate of new skin cancer cases.23

The high cost of skin cancer

In the United States, total annual medical costs to treat all types of skin cancer is $8.9 billion:A1

  • An estimated 33,826 emergency department visits for sunburn are reported each year,9 for a total estimated cost of $11.2 million.B
  • Prohibiting the use of indoor tanning among minors younger than 18 could prevent an estimated 61,839 melanoma cases and 6,735 melanoma deaths over the lifetime of young people aged 14 or younger in 2013.10 These reductions could save more than $342 millionC in treatment costs.

Strategies that work

CDC is working to prevent cancer, detect it early, and improve the health of people with cancer, which can save lives and reduce health care costs. The best way to reduce skin cancer risk is for people to make sun safety an everyday habit and avoid indoor tanning and sun tanning.4 But outdoor environments and community policies are often not designed with sun safety in mind.

Communities and decision makers can help put proven skin cancer prevention programs into action.4 For example, they can:

  • Increase shade at playgrounds, public pools, and other public spaces.
  • Promote sun protection in recreation areas, including selling hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses.
  • Encourage employers, childcare centers, schools, and colleges to teach employees and students about sun safety and skin protection.
  • Restrict the availability and use of indoor tanning by minors.
  • Promote electronic reporting of skin cancers and encourage health care systems and providers to use these systems.

Benefits of using proven strategies

Using proven community skin cancer prevention programs could:

  • INCREASE use of sun protection, such as seeking shade; wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and long-sleeved shirt; and using broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15.411
  • PREVENT sunburns and premature skin aging and lower the risk of skin cancer by reducing unnecessary sun exposure and sun damage.411
  • REDUCE harms from the use of indoor tanning devices, including skin burns, eye damage, and increased risk of skin cancer.4
  • SAVE an estimated $250 millionD a year in health care costs by preventing an estimated 21,000 cases of melanoma by 2030.12

What CDC is doing

CDC leads skin cancer prevention efforts by:

  • Using national surveillance data to monitor trends in melanoma cases and deaths and skin cancer risk factors.
  • Conducting research to develop and test prevention messages.
  • Examining the policy, health system, and environmental factors that influence skin cancer risk behaviors.
  • Making sure partners and the public have accurate and timely information about skin cancer prevention and resources to help them put the science of skin cancer prevention into action in their communities.

Spotlight‎

CDC's National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program helps programs across the country use proven strategies to improve sun safety as part of its efforts to prevent and control cancer.
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  1. Costs were measured in 2018 U.S. dollars.
  2. Costs were measured in 2013 U.S. dollars. Older cost estimates are likely to be underestimates.
  3. Costs were measured in 2014 U.S. dollars. Older cost estimates are likely to be underestimates.
  4. Cost estimates were adjusted to the projected increase in health expenditures from 2011 through 2030.
  1. Kao SY, Ekwueme DU, Holman DM, Rim SH, Thomas CC, Saraiya M. Economic burden of skin cancer treatment in the United States: an analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, 2012-2018. Cancer Causes Control. 2023;34(3):205–212. doi: 10.1007/s1052-022-01644-0.
  2. Cancer Statistics Working Group. U.S. Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations Tool, based on 2021 submission data (1999–2021): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute. Updated June 2024. Accessed July 2024. www.cdc.gov/cancer/dataviz
  3. Rogers HW, Weinstock MA, Feldman SR, Coldiron BM. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma skin cancer (keratinocyte carcinomas) in the US population, 2012. JAMA Dermatol. 2015;151(10):1081–1086.
  4. The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General; 2014.
  5. Gualin C, Sebaratnam DF, Fernandez-Penas P. Quality of life in non-melanoma skin cancer. Australas J Dermatol. 2015;56(1):70–76.
  6. National Cancer Institute. Financial burden of cancer care. Cancer Trends Progress Report. Reviewed March 2024. Accessed July 2024. https://progressreport.cancer.gov/after/economic_burden
  7. Holman DM, Everett Jones S, Qin J, Richardson LC. Prevalence of indoor tanning among US high school students from 2009 to 2017. J Community Health. 2019;44(6):1086–1089.
  8. Guy GP Jr, Watson M, Seidenberg AB, Hartman AM, Holman DM, Perna FM. Trends in indoor tanning and its association with sunburn among US adults. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017;76(6):1191–1193.
  9. Guy GP Jr, Berkowitz Z, Watson M. Estimated cost of sunburn-associated visits to US hospital emergency departments. JAMA Dermatol. 2017;153(1):90–92.
  10. Guy GP Jr, Zhang Y, Ekwueme DU, Rim SH, Watson M. The potential impact of reducing indoor tanning on melanoma prevention and treatment costs in the United States: an economic analysis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017;76(2):226–233.
  11. Community Preventive Services Task Force. What Works. Cancer Prevention and Control: Skin Cancer Prevention. Evidence-Based Interventions for Your Community. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; 2014.
  12. Guy GP Jr, Thomas CC, Thompson T, Watson M, Massetti GM, Richardson LC. Vital Signs: melanoma incidence and mortality trends and projections — United States, 1982–2030. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015;64(21):591–596.