부산대학교 도서관

Simple Summary: We aimed to study whether the burden of disease (incidence and mortality) of thin melanomas (i.e., melanomas thinner than 1 mm at diagnosis) increased in recent decades in Italy as observed in other world countries (e.g., Australia, the USA, and Scandinavian countries). We used data from a population-based cancer registry in Tuscany (Central Italy) and found that, while the incidence of thin melanomas has indeed been increasing steadily in recent years (much more than thick melanomas), the contribution of thin melanomas to mortality has not changed substantially. Moreover, we detected differences between sexes and across age groups in the way the epidemiology of melanoma, and especially thin melanomas, has changed in recent years. These findings likely reflect parallel changes in exposure to UV radiation (the most important environmental risk factor for melanoma) and possibly early diagnosis practices, and they represent a valuable piece of information for informing effective prevention interventions. A steady increase in the incidence and mortality burden correlated to thin melanomas (≤1 mm) has been reported in recent years in some international studies, but there is currently a paucity of data from the Mediterranean area. We aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of thin melanoma in Tuscany, Central Italy. A total of 6002 first cutaneous invasive melanomas occurring from 1985 to 2017 were selected for analysis; data were retrieved from the local population-based cancer registry. The standardized incidence rate was 15.0 per 100,000 in the population, higher among men than women (16.5 vs. 14.1). Incidence rates tended to increase over time across all age group-specific population strata, with annual percent changes moderately higher among men (+8.0%) than women (+6.9%), especially among the elderly. Among both sexes and in each age group, the trend toward increasing incidence rates was particularly strong for thin melanomas. Survival was better among women than men across all categories of thickness. Approximately 15% of deaths occurred among patients with thin lesions, with no major temporal changes in recent years. This study contributes to an improved understanding of melanoma epidemiology in Tuscany and underscores the need for primary prevention strategies tackling the growing burden of thin melanomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]