Research suggests that deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) could soon overtake malignant melanoma (MM) mortality in England and Scotland. 

Researchers analysed data from England, Scotland, the US, Nordic countries, Australia and Japan. In all these countries, MM deaths fell or remained static between 2010 and 2019. In England, MM deaths declined by 0.9 per cent a year. The 1.2 per cent annual fall in Scotland was non-significant. 

In contrast, NMSC deaths increased annually in every country. The rises of 4.2 and 4.9 per cent a year in England and Scotland respectively were the highest among the countries studied. Deaths in England from cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma increased by 4.7 and 2.9 per cent annually between 2013-2019. 

If these trends continue, NMSC deaths will overtake MM mortality in Scotland in 2028 and England a decade later. NMSC is set to become more common as the number of elderly people grows and more patients are immunosuppressed.

“A shift in how we view non-melanoma skin cancer is long overdue,” says Dr Chris Bower, clinical vice-president of the British Association of Dermatologists. 

“While non-melanoma skin cancer does have a high survival rate, it is becoming so common that the number of people it kills each year is beginning to overtake more deadly cancers, including melanoma. We estimate that there are around a quarter of a million cases a year in the UK compared to under 17,000 melanoma cases.”