Skin Cancer ACS Research Highlights

Skin cancer is by far the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States.

We know a lot about what causes skin cancer, and researchers are making more progress by using what we know to better understand the best ways to prevent and treat it.

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Researcher Makes Transparent Zebrafish Glow to Study Melanoma

Fish Fins Teach Researchers About Melanoma on Hands and Feet

Risk & Prevention Studies

Researchers call for higher quality studies to understand the link between UV exposure and risk of melanoma for people with skin of color.

Richard Wang, MD, PhD, an American Cancer Society grantee from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, is studying mice to learn more about the role of glucose transport in the development of squamous cell skin cancer.

Peter A. Kanetsky, PhD, MPH, an American Cancer Society grantee from H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc. in Tampa, FL, is studying whether telling people with the MC1R mutation about their increased risk for melanoma will motivate them to better protect themselves from the sun.

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Treatment Studies

Genetic studies of the skin cancer called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma find the first steps toward new treatments tailored for patients’ specific subtypes.

ACS Professor Craig Crews uses his lab's technology to harness the cell's waste disposal system to "take away" melanoma-causing proteins.

Read Richard Wang's recent study that compared Merkel cell polyomavirus to two other very similar skin viruses that cause skin infection but not cancer.

Our researchers found that melanoma cells grown in petri dishes in a lab were able to escape treatment using different non-genetic pathways. Learn more.

This study focuses on the role of amyloid processing protein which is linked with Alzheimer's disease in melanoma brain metastases. Learn more here.

Weiguo Cui, PhD, an American Cancer Society grantee from the Medical College of Wisconsin is studying immunotherapy for melanoma, using cell therapy.

ACS Cancer Prevention Studies

Studying Skin Cancer Causes and Prevention

The Cancer Prevention and Survivorship team in the American Cancer Society’s Population Science Department:

Analyzes data about the link between lifestyle and skin cancer on an ongoing basis through the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II). It began in 1982 and tracks about 1.2 million American men and women from all 50 states.
Conducts Cancer Prevention Study 3 (CPS-3) to better understand ways to prevent cancer, including skin cancer. It started in 2013 and includes over 304,000 American men and women from all over the US and Puerto Rico.

Skin Cancer Cancer Facts & Figures in Brief

ACS Statistics Reports

Colorectal Cancer 2026 Statistics Composite Image

The 2026 annual report provides estimated numbers of new cancer cases, deaths, survivors and statistics on prevention, early detection, and treatment.

Interact with the latest melanoma statistics and download the information you want for presentations and reports.

Skin Cancer News

ACS Pivotal Studies

Researchers Identify States Where Improved Sun Protection Could Prevent the Most Melanomas

Helpful Resources

We Fund Cancer Researchers Across the US

The American Cancer Society funds scientists who conduct research about cancer at medical schools, universities, research institutes, and hospitals throughout the United States. We use a rigorous and independent peer review process to select the most innovative research projects proposals to fund.

Stats on the left are as of October 17, 2025.

See more funding stats.

skin cancer (non-melanoma) grants

skin cancer (melanoma) grants

$10M

funding for skin cancer (non-melanoma)

$29M

funding for skin cancer (melanoma)