TUESDAY, Sept. 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For adults aged 30 to 49 years, there has been a decline in melanoma incidence and mortality, according to a study published online Sept. 8 in JAMA Dermatology to coincide with the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology, held from Sept. 13 to 17 in Barcelona, Spain.

Hildur Helgadottir, M.D., Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and colleagues examined melanoma incidence and mortality trends in Sweden using national population data from the Swedish Melanoma Registry and the Swedish Cancer Registry. The study included all patients diagnosed from 1990 to 2022. For each year, incidence and mortality rates were calculated per 100,000 inhabitants.

From 1990 to 2022, there were 34,800 primary invasive cutaneous melanomas reported in 33,324 individuals younger than 60 years. The researchers found a consistent increase in melanoma incidence among those aged 50 to 59 years. An incidence peak was seen in 2013 to 2015 for those aged 20 to 29, 30 to 39, and 40 to 49 years, followed by stable or significantly decreasing rates until 2022. Melanoma incidence remained low among patients younger than 20 years, with no significant trends. Among those aged 30 to 59 years, but not in those aged 60 years or older, there was a significant decline in melanoma mortality.

"Raised public awareness, particularly about protecting children from sun exposure, has possibly had a positive association with melanoma incidence and mortality in young adults," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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