1. Progress Against Melanoma

2. 1970–1979

3. Progress Against Melanoma 1970–1979 1978: Hereditary syndrome linked to increased melanoma risk

4. Progress Against Melanoma 1980–1989

5. Progress Against Melanoma 1980–1989 1970s–1990s: Research links sun exposure to melanoma risk

6. Progress Against Melanoma 1980–1989 Mid-1980s: Less extensive surgery found effective for removing melanoma tumors

7. Progress Against Melanoma 1980–1989 1987: Personalized immunotherapy can shrink some melanoma tumors

8. Progress Against Melanoma 1990–1999

9. Progress Against Melanoma 1990–1999 1992: Sentinel lymph node biopsy introduced to assess the spread of melanoma to nearby lymph nodes

10. Progress Against Melanoma 1990–1999 1996: Interferon approved as first adjuvant treatment

11. Progress Against Melanoma 1990–1999 1998: Second immunotherapy drug approved for melanoma

12. Progress Against Melanoma 2000–Present

13. Progress Against Melanoma 2000–Present 2001: New staging system helps doctors determine prognosis, select best melanoma treatments

14. Progress Against Melanoma 2000–Present 2002: Genetic ''fingerprints'' of melanoma tumors differ widely

15. Progress Against Melanoma 2000–Present 2005: Melanoma, other skin cancers increasing in young people

16. Progress Against Melanoma 2000–Present 2008: Microscopic examination improves accuracy of skin cancer screening

17. Progress Against Melanoma 2000–Present 2009: Melanoma incidence continues to rise in the U.S. 2009: Researchers begin mapping the melanoma genome

18. Progress Against Melanoma 2000–Present 2010: First drug shown to improve survival for patients with advanced melanoma 2011: Second targeted drug extends survival for advanced melanoma 2010: Indoor tanning declared a carcinogen

19. Progress Against Melanoma Five-Year Survival Source: National Cancer Institute

20. Progress Against Melanoma Mortality Source: National Cancer Institute

21. Progress Against Melanoma New Cases Source: National Cancer Institute

22. Visit CancerProgress.Net for an interactive timeline of progress against a range of common cancers CancerProgress.Net is a project of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which represents nearly 30,000 physicians who treat people with cancer and research new cures