The number of skin cancer procedures in 2016 was up by 10.5% since 2015 and by 35% since 2012, according to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
Of the estimated 3.5 million skin cancer treatments provided by dermatologic surgeons in 2016, just over 227,000, or 6.5%, were for melanoma – a 4% increase over those diagnosed in 2015. Since 2012, the annual number of melanoma procedures has risen by 55%. The 3.29 million nonmelanoma procedures performed in 2016 represent a 10% increase over 2015, the ASDS said in a report on its 2016 Survey on Dermatologic Procedures.
“The public is increasingly aware of the need to have any new or suspicious lesions checked,” ASDS President Thomas Rohrer, MD , said in a written statement.
In addition to the skin cancer treatments, ASDS members also performed over 7 million cosmetic procedures in 2016, including 2.8 million involving laser, light, and energy-based devices. Additionally, 1.7 million involving neuromodulators, and 1.35 million involved soft-tissue fillers, the ASDS said.
The procedures survey was conducted Jan. 4 to Feb. 8, 2017, and included 627 physicians’ responses, which were then generalized to represent all of the almost 6,100 ASDS members.
