Increasing Incidence of Melanoma Among Young Adults

In this video, Kurtis Reed, MD, lead author of a study published in the April 2012 edition of Mayo Clinic Proceedings on the incidence of melanoma among young adults, discusses its findings. The study found that, since the 1970s, the incidence of melanoma has increased 6-fold among all young adults and more than 8-fold among young women. Dr. Reed notes that these results indicate that melanoma is not just a disease of elderly patients and that health care providers should ensure that young adults receive appropriate screening for the condition and education about risk factors, prevention, and detection.