Premium
Cutaneous malignant melanoma mortality in Spain from 1979 to 2018. Trends and new perspectives in the immunotherapy era
Author(s) -
DuránRomero A.J.,
SendínMartin M.,
ConejoMir J.,
PereyraRodriguez J.J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/jdv.16983
Subject(s) - medicine , demography , mortality rate , population , melanoma , years of potential life lost , cohort , standardized mortality ratio , life expectancy , environmental health , cancer research , sociology
Background Recent studies suggest that cutaneous melanoma mortality rates in Spain are stabilizing and even decreasing in younger cohorts. Objectives To analyse mortality rates of melanoma from the last 40 years, focusing on changes related with the development of new therapeutic approaches. Methods Death records and mid‐year population data were collected from the National Statistics Institute. By using the direct method, age‐standardized mortality rates were calculated for overall population and for each sex and age group. Significant changes in mortality trends were identified by Joinpoint regressions. The independent effects of age, period and cohort (APC) and potential years of life lost (PYLL) due to melanoma were also analysed. Results Age‐standardized melanoma mortality rates rose in Spain from 0.78 to 2.13 deaths per 100 000 from the first to the last quinquennium of the study (1979–1983 to 2014–2018) for the overall population. After a marked increase until 1995, mortality rates levelled off. Following this stabilization, from 2015 to 2018 there was a decrease in mortality rates for the overall population (average annual per cent change (AAPC): −4.3, not significant), more accused in males over 64 years old (yo). A period effect was observed from the beginning of 21st century, with mortality rates dropping to date. Conclusions There is a decrease in melanoma mortality rates from 2015 in all age groups that confirms previous trends in mortality in younger cohorts. Improvement in diagnosis and development of new therapies for advanced melanoma may have a crucial role in this event. Close monitoring of melanoma mortality rates is necessary to confirm these trends.