Malignant melanoma incidence among children and adolescents in Texas and SEER 13, 1995–2013

Abstract

Background Epidemiological knowledge and predictors of melanoma among children and adolescents in multiethnic populations are limited. Procedure Using data from the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 13 database, we identified incident melanoma cases diagnosed at 0–20 years old during 1995–2013 in Texas and the United States, respectively. Using negative binomial regression, associations between demographic factors and melanoma incidence rates (IR) were evaluated by calculating incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Annual percent change in IRs was assessed with joinpoint regression. Results Overall, the melanoma IR was 4.16 (TCR, n = 634) and 4.84 (SEER, n = 1260) per million. Females, adolescents, non‐Hispanic (NH) whites, and Hispanics had higher IRs compared with other groups (P < 0.05). In adjusted analyses, Hispanics had a higher incidence of melanoma than NH non‐whites (Texas IRR = 2.17; 95% CI, 1.30–3.61; SEER IRR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.97–4.21). In Texas, NH whites with melanoma were more likely to live in low poverty areas, whereas the opposite trend was observed in Hispanics. Melanoma IRs increased throughout 1995–2004 followed by an average annual decrease of 7.6% (95% CI, −12.6%, −2.2%) in Texas and 6.0% (95% CI, −8.5%, −3.4%) in SEER during 2005–2013 (P < 0.05). However, these decreasing trends were not observed among Hispanics or those <10 years old. Conclusion Although the overall melanoma IR in children and adolescents appears to be decreasing, this trend is not evident among Hispanics and young children, implicating the need for further research investigating the etiologies and risk factors in these groups.

THE demographics and trends in pediatric melanoma in the United States: An analysis of the National Cancer Database

“…Similar trends have been observed in previous studies. 2,5,8,[12][13][14][15][16] However, our results differ from a previous international cancer registry analysis which found that males made up a greater percentage of cases before the age of 10, while females made up a greater percentage of cases after the age of 10. 8,13 Our results demonstrated a greater burden of melanoma in males age 13-15 and females age 16-17.…”

“…We also observed several cases at age 0‐12 months. However, melanoma in this age group has been observed in previous studies 1,2,12,15,17,18 …”

“…2,5,12,13,15,16 Other studies have also identified Hispanics as the group second most likely to develop pediatric melanoma after Whites. 4,15,16 By anatomic location, the most frequent presenting site was the trunk, while the least frequent site was the upper extremities and head/neck. Our findings are comparable to other studies which observed pediatric melanomas most often present on the trunk or lower extremities.…”

“…Similar to a previous SEER analysis, superficial spreading and nodular were the most common tumors while acral and lentigo maligna cases were rare. 12 Stratified by age, histologic subtype varied between children (0-12) and adolescents (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Superficial spreading (34.4%), nodular (16.3%), and epithelioid/spindle cell (16.3%)…”

A systematic scoping review of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities in pediatric dermatology

“…Five articles reported disparities in pediatric skin cancer, specifically melanoma. Among non-White minorities, a higher incidence of melanoma in Hispanics was found by Danysh et al 37 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 13 database. Hispanics were also found to present with later-stage disease and have lower survival rates.…”