Incidence of uveal melanoma in Sweden from 1960 to 1998.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the incidence of uveal melanoma in Sweden during the period from 1960 to 1998, with respect to age distribution, gender, and changes in incidence over time.


METHODS
The Swedish Cancer Registry was searched for patients with uveal melanoma and cross-checked against hospital files over patients where an eye-sparing treatment had been applied, to ensure inclusion in the Registry even when no histologic specimen was available. The crude and age-standardized incidence was estimated separately for each gender. The Swedish population of 1970 to 1974 was used as a standard, and the annual change in incidence was calculated by using a regression model with logarithmic incidence numbers.


RESULTS
In total, 2997 patients met the criteria, of whom 1542 were males and 1455 females. During the 39-year period, the age-standardized incidence of uveal melanoma declined significantly in the male population, from 11.7 cases/million to 8.4 cases/million (P = 0.002). The trend toward reduced incidence in females, from 10.3 to 8.7 cases/million did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.108). The annual relative change in incidence was 1% (95% CI, 0.8%-1.2%) in males and 0.7% (95% CI, 0%-1.3%) in females. The age-specific incidence revealed a significantly higher incidence among men older than 45 years (23.5 cases/million) compared with the incidence in women of the same age group (19.2 cases/million; P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
A Swedish national survey performed to establish the incidence of uveal melanoma during the period from 1960 to 1998 revealed a decreasing incidence in the male and a stable incidence in the female population.
Bergman
Louise
L
St. Eriks Eye Hospital and. Radiumhemmet, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. louise.bergman@sankterik.se
Seregard
Stefan
S
Nilsson
Bo
B
Ringborg
Ulrik
U
Lundell
Göran
G
Ragnarsson-Olding
Boel
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*