Melanoma epidemic across the millennium: time trends of cutaneous melanoma in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) from 1997 to 2004.
BACKGROUND
After a rapid increase in malignant melanoma (MM) incidence in the last decades, trends of the melanoma epidemic in the recent years seemed not homogeneous.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed at the monitoring of some epidemiological data referring to melanoma in a region of the Northern Italy during the past 8-year period.


METHODS
All cases of melanoma, including also in situ lesions, diagnosed in Emilia-Romagna and San Marino State, with the exclusion of Cesena province, from 1997 to 2004 were recorded and the incidence of melanoma, adjusted for the European standard population by the direct method, was calculated.


RESULTS
Mean standardized incidence was 9.7 for invasive MMs and 11.9, considering also in situ ones, showing an ascending trend with an increment of 3.3 new incident cases in 2004 compared with 1997. No differences in age distribution, gender and site were reported. Concerning tumour thickness, although a general ascending trend in all subtypes, only thin melanoma incidence significantly increased over the study period.


CONCLUSIONS
Contrary to data from Northern European countries, melanoma incidence still showed an ascending trend in the Italian population of Emilia Romagna.
Pellacani
G
G
Department of Dermatology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. pellacani.giovanni@unimo.it
Lo Scocco
G
G
Vinceti
M
M
Albertini
G
G
Raccagni
A Ascari
AA
Baldassari
L
L
Catrani
S
S
Donelli
S
S
Ghetti
P
P
Lanzoni
A
A
Leardini
M
M
Reggiani
M
M
Santini
M
M
Stanganelli
I
I
Virgili
A
A
Seidenari
S
S
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*