title: Age-related characteristics of cutaneous melanoma in a Spanish Mediterranean population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Melanoma is considered a heterogeneous tumor with genetic and environmental factors involved in its pathogenesis. The impact of these factors varies depending on age.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to characterize the epidemiological, phenotypic, and histological features of patients with melanoma according to three age groups: ≤40, 41-65, and >65 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1122 consecutive patients with invasive melanoma definitively treated in our institution since January 2000 were selected from our melanoma database. Epidemiological, phenotypic, and histological data were retrieved and analyzed as a function of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Female patients predominated in the younger age group. The location of cutaneous malignant melanoma differed with age. In the younger and middle age groups, tumors presented mainly on the trunk, while in the older group they were mainly found on the head/neck. Signs of actinic damage such as actinic keratoses, solar lentigines, or other skin tumors increased with age, while genetic factors such as family history of melanoma or a high number of common melanocytic nevi were more frequent in the younger group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that melanoma development in younger patients is the result of genetic factors, particularly related to multiple nevi, whereas in older patients environmental factors such as severe chronic sun exposure play a major role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Iria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Requena
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Traves
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Zaida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: García-Casado
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rajiv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain.|Universidad Católica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagore
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D055623:Keratosis, Actinic / Q000453:epidemiology; D007911:Lentigo / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D044102:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D060726:Torso
chemical_list: D044102:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1