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Decline in melanoma trend observed among children, adolescents
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Trends for melanoma incidence in children and adolescents have decreased after peaking early in the millennium, according to a poster abstract presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine used Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER 9) registries to analyze melanoma incidence for children, adolescents and young adults from 1973 through 2009. SEER 18 registries data also were included for 2000 to 2009 and stratified by tumor site, sex, lymph node involvement, Breslow depth and ulceration status. Categories included patients aged 0 to 4, 5 to 9, 10 to 14, 15 to 19 and 20 to 24 years.
Melanoma incidence increased and peaked in the 10 to 14 and 15 to 19 age groups between 1973 and 2004 and 1973 and 2002, respectively. Based on annual percent change, downward trends then occurred for adolescents aged 15 to 19 from 2000 to 2009 (P=.04) and children aged 10 to 14.
In stratified analyses, researchers observed decreasing melanoma trends between 2000 and 2009 among males aged 15 to 19 years (Incidence Rate=1.07; 95% CI, 0.96-1.20), for all patients aged 15 to 19 (IR=1.38; 95% CI, 1.29-1.48) and patients with truncal melanoma, melanomas with thin depths, melanomas without distant metastases and ulceration, and in those aged 10 to 14 years with nodular melanomas (P<.05 for all).
For children aged 5 to 9 years, melanoma rates appeared stable from 1973 to 2001, after peaking in 2001, and then declined. Outside of peaking in 1986, rates for children aged 0 to 4 seemed stable during the study. Melanoma increased for young adults aged 20 to 24 between 1973 and 2003 and has since trended downward.
“From 2000 to 2009, incidence significantly decreased in 15- to 19-year-olds,” the researchers concluded. “Perhaps increased adherence to sun-protective measures in 15- to 19-year-old males accounts for recent trends.”
For more information:
Campbell L. P6960 – Decreasing trends in melanoma incidence in children and adolescents from 2000 to 2009: A SEER analysis. Presented at: American Academy of Dermatology 2013 Annual Meeting; March 1-5, Miami Beach, Fla.