ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2005 February;140(1):33-44

Copyright © 2005 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Epidemiology of melanoma and non melanoma skin cancer in the provinces of Pisa and Massa-Carrara from 1997 to 2002

Battistini E. ¹, Battistini S. ², Barachini P. ¹

¹ Department of Dermatology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy 2 Dermatology Unit, City Hospital, Massa-Carrara, Italy

Aim. The aim of our study is to assess the incidence of melanoma and non melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) in the provinces of Pisa and Massa-Carrara, and also to point out some epidemiological differences between the 2 populations.
Methods. Our study evaluates all histologically tested cases of melanoma and NMSCs from 1997 to 2002, at the Dermatological Clinic of Pisa University and at the Dermatological Department of the City Hospital of Massa-Carrara. All cases have been subdivided according to sex and age; with regard to the original lesion the anatomical site and the histological type (for melanoma only) were considered.
Results. During the period of our study we registered 259 types of melanoma, a number that, related to the population we have considered, gives an incidence of 8/100 000 inhabitants. From 1997 to 2002 we noted an increased of incidence, that reached its peak in 2001 with 10.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. We registered 1967 basal cell carcinomas; this kind of neoplasm was commoner in Massa-Carrara, with a total of 1 125 cases. We registered 577 spinous cell carcinomas, a neoplasm more commonly found in Pisa, with 330 cases.
Conclusion. We can claim an increased incidence both for melanoma and for NMSCs. As regards melanoma, the epidemiological differences observed comparing the clinical data of 2 provinces (the age at the time of diagnosis shifted to older age and a larger frequency of the LMM histotype in the province of Massa-Carrara) could be linked to the different demographic composition of the 2 populations.