The Centers for Disease Control have released a report noting that the cost of treating skin cancer has risen 5 times faster than treatment costs for other types of cancer in a time period from 2002 to 2011. The average annual treatment cost for skin cancer increased 126% just from 2002 to 2006. That’s quite a huge jump, particularly when you consider that the cost increases for all other types of cancer only rose 25%.
Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. The majority of those are basal cell carcinoma, followed by squamous cell carcinoma. Melanoma accounts for a very small percentage of those diagnoses. Increases in the number of skin cancer cases are, in part, driving up the cost increases. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data shows an annual increase of adults treated for skin cancer during the time period of 2002 to 2011.
Prevention is listed as an important consideration to reduce costs. Sadly, the US Preventative Services Task Force does not support routine screening of adults for skin cancer. Why? Look, getting a skin check from a dermatologist is not nearly as expensive as getting a CAT scan. And being diligent is no guarantee that you won’t develop some form of skin cancer. I mean, I have been pretty diligent about wearing high SPF for nearly 20 years and yet I still managed to grow pink melanoma. Melanoma that would not have been identified and treated early without a routine screening. It seems very short-sighted of the US Preventative Services Task Force to not recommend an annual skin check along with wearing SPF and avoiding indoor tanning. My treatment of melanoma would have been significantly higher without the routine screening. If it would have jumped to Stage 3 or even Stage 4, the medical costs of removing my lymph nodes, looking for cancer in other organs, chemo and/or radiation would be way higher than the excision.