Skin Cancer facts

	Skin cancer is the most common form of all cancers.
	1 million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year alone. This is not just in transplant recipients, but includes all U.S. citizens.
	In the U.S. general population Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer accounting for 80% of skin cancer cases. Squamous cell carcinoma is second in the number of cases accounting for 16%. Melanoma, although potentially the most dangerous skin cancer, is the least common accounting for ~4%. (American Cancer Society's 2002 Facts& Figures)
	~ 9,600 people in the United States will die of skin cancer in 2002. 7,400 from melanoma and 2,200 from other skin cancers. (American Cancer Society's 2002 Facts& Figures)
	In the general population 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer. The frequency of skin cancer in fair-skinned populations living closer to the equator, or with extremely sunny climates such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South and Central America, may have rates at high as 1 in 2 persons.
	Immunosuppressed transplant recipients are 65 times more likely to develop a squamous cell carcinoma than the general population.
	Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer in immunosuppressed transplant recipients.
	The risk of developing a skin cancer increases with increasing time from transplant. Heart transplant recipients tend to experience a dramatic rise in the incidence of skin cancer ~5 years after their transplant. Liver and kidney transplant recipients tend to experience a dramatic rise in the incidence of skin cancer ~10 years after transplant.
	10-45% of transplant recipients have a skin cancer 10 years after transplant.
	Four years after heart transplant, one study showed that 25% of deaths were caused by skin cancer.
	AAD website skin Cancer facts sheet.

International Transplant Skin Cancer Collaborative
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