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Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have found that more than 80% of cutaneous melanoma cases worldwide in 2022 were attributable to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. In a new study, published today in the International Journal of Cancer, it was estimated that approximately 267 000 out of 332 000 melanoma cases globally in 2022 were caused by UVR.
Building on earlier data from IARC’s Global Cancer Observatory database, scientists improved the accuracy of previous estimates. They adjusted for acral lentiginous melanoma, a subtype that is not associated with UVR exposure and is rare among light-skinned populations, but that accounts for about half of cutaneous melanoma cases in darker-skinned groups.
Langselius O, Rumgay H, de Vries E, Whiteman DC, Jemal A, Parkin DM, et al.
Global burden of cutaneous melanoma incidence attributable to ultraviolet radiation in 2022
Int J Cancer, Published online 27 May 2025;
https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.35463
