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. 2016 Oct:91:294-298.
doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.032. Epub 2016 Aug 24.

Melanoma burden and recent trends among non-Hispanic whites aged 15-49years, United States

Meg Watson  1 , Alan C Geller  2 , Margaret A Tucker  3 , Gery P Guy Jr  4 , Martin A Weinstock  5
Affiliations

Melanoma burden and recent trends among non-Hispanic whites aged 15-49years, United States

Meg Watson et al. Prev Med. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Melanoma is among the most common cancers for adolescents and young adults. Updated information on melanoma among adults <50 is needed. The objective of this study was to examine invasive melanoma in the United States among people aged 15-49years for the group at highest risk, non-Hispanic whites. In 2015, we analyzed population-based cancer registry data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program to examine melanoma incidence and death rates and trends among non-Hispanic whites aged 15-49years by sex and age. We also present incidence trends with regard to thickness and site on the body. Among non-Hispanic whites aged 15-49years, rates were higher among females. Thin melanomas increased among both sexes during 1992-2006 and stabilized during 2006-2012. For the period 1992-2012, melanomas thicker than 4mm increased among males and melanomas 1.01-2.00mm thick increased among females. Melanomas were most commonly diagnosed on the trunk and lower extremity among females and on the trunk and upper extremity among males. Increases in melanoma incidence among non-Hispanic whites aged 15-49years across various thicknesses suggest that melanoma trends are not solely related to increased screening but are, in part, related to true increases. Declines in melanoma rates of about 3% a year from the mid-2000s to 2012 in the youngest age groups offer hope that melanoma incidence may decline in future generations.

Keywords: Adolescent and young adult; Cancer incidence; Cancer mortality; Melanoma; Trends.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Melanoma incidence rates by age and year of diagnosis among non-Hispanic whites aged 15–49, SEER, 1992–2012 Rates are per 100,000 persons and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population (19 age groups – Census P25–1130). Source for trend data: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (www.seer.cancer.gov) SEER*Stat Database: Incidence - SEER 13 Regs Research Data, Nov 2014 Sub (1992–2012) <Katrina/Rita Population Adjustment> - Linked To County Attributes - Total U.S., 1969–2012 Counties, National Cancer Institute, DCCPS, Surveillance Research Program, Surveillance Systems Branch, released April 2015, based on the November 2014 submission.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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