Melanoma was diagnosed in more than 45,000 people annually in the United States during 2004-2006, with a rate of 19 per 100,000 people.
That statistic, from two population-based cancer registries covering 78% of the U.S. population for those years, was among the melanoma data published in a series of articles in a special supplement to the November issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2011;65:S1-S156).
Among other significant findings were the following:
• Melanoma mortality accounted for $3.5 billion in lost productivity each year, with approximately $2.4 billion for men (average, $441,903 per man) and $1.2 billion for women (average, $401,046 per woman). Those who died from melanoma did so 20 years prematurely, compared with 17 years from other cancers, reported Donatus Ekwueme, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Melanoma rates were higher among white women aged 50 years and younger, Hispanic women aged 50 and younger, and Asian Pacific Islander women aged 40 and younger, compared with their male counterparts. Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Asians were diagnosed with melanoma at younger ages than were whites and blacks, according to analysis from Dr. Xiao-Cheng Wu of the school of public health at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.
• In 2005, 34% of adults reported having been sunburned in the past year, compared with 69% of adolescents, David Buller, Ph.D., of Klein Buendel Inc., a research firm, said in a report that also addressed the prevalence of sunburn, sun protection, and indoor-tanning behaviors.
• Fully 50% of dermatologists were unaware that they are required by state law to report their diagnosed cases of melanoma to their state central cancer registry, based on a survey of more than 400 dermatologists at a medical meeting. A slightly higher percentage (56%) do not actively report their melanoma diagnoses to a registry, according to the findings of the survey conducted by Dr. Todd Cartee of Emory University, Atlanta.
Other topics addressed include recent cutaneous melanoma trends and death rates, disease incidence in specific racial and ethnic populations as well as in adolescents and young adults, and associations between melanoma incidence and solar ultraviolet exposure and socioeconomic indicators. Also included are data on melanoma mortality and survival, sun-related behaviors such as tanning and sunscreen use, and rates of reporting.
The authors mentioned above declared no relevant conflicts of interest; the supplement was supported by the CDC.