A RECENT study using the National Childhood Cancer Registry (NCCR) from 1997 to 2020 has provided new insights into melanoma incidence and presentations among paediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients. The large-scale retrospective cohort study aimed to analyse melanoma trends based on age, sex, race, and ethnicity, as previous research on this topic had been limited by small sample sizes.
The study found that melanoma incidence rates were 1.74 per one million person-years for paediatric patients and 62.05 per one million person-years for AYA patients. Notably, females made up 62.3% of the cohort, with non-Hispanic White patients accounting for 87.5% of all diagnoses. These patients had significantly higher incidence rates of melanoma compared to all other racial and ethnic groups in both age categories.
The research also revealed that superficial spreading melanoma was the most common histologic subtype in both groups. In paediatric patients, the lower extremities were the most common site of melanoma, while in AYA patients, the trunk was the most frequent location. Statistically significant differences were observed in the distribution of primary tumour locations by sex, as well as by race and ethnicity, in both the paediatric and AYA groups.
These findings highlight the importance of considering demographic factors when addressing melanoma trends and may help guide future prevention and early detection strategies in these age groups.
Reference
Ituarte B et al. Clinical presentations and decreasing incidence of melanoma in pediatric and AYA patients: 76,108 cases from a nationally representative cohort. JAAD. 2024;15(24)S0190-9622.
