Changing trends in melanoma incidence and mortality

OBJECTIVES: This article analyzes trends in melanoma incidence and mortality rates. Information on sun exposure supplements these statistics. DATA SOURCES: Melanoma incidence data were obtained from the National Cancer Incidence Reporting System and from the Canadian Cancer Registry. Cancer mortality data were extracted from the Canadian Vital Statistics Data Base. Information on sun exposure is from the 1996 Sun Exposure Survey. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Incidence and mortality rates were age-standardized to the 1991 Canadian population to account for changes in the age structure of the population over time. The average annual percentage changes in age-specific rates were calculated for selected time periods. MAIN RESULTS: After years of steady increases, melanoma incidence and mortality rates have levelled off as a result of declining rates in younger age groups, and for melanoma of the trunk among men and of the leg among women. Incidence rates for men are now higher than those for women; mortality rates for men are twice as high as for women.