Global melanoma rate to increase by 50% by 2040, researchers predict

New cases of melanoma are set to increase by 50% globally by 2040, with a 68% increase in deaths, according to new research.

An international team of researchers have analysed the global burden of melanoma, which accounts for approximately one in five skin cancers. Data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer estimated that there were 325,000 new melanoma cases and 57,000 deaths in 2020.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Dermatology, found the cumulative risk of developing melanoma was highest in Australia and New Zealand, where one in 20 men and one in 30 women were affected by 75 years of age.

Melanoma Institute Australia last month released a report calling for long-term investment in a national melanoma prevention and awareness campaign.

The projected rise in the number of people dying from melanoma in coming decades was largely driven by ageing populations, said study co-author Prof David Whiteman, an epidemiologist at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.