ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Esperienze Dermatologiche 2017 March;19(1):10-6

DOI: 10.23736/S1128-9155.17.00442-3

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Twenty years of cutaneous melanomas in Cremona (1995-2014): epidemiological surveys

Enrico PEZZAROSSA ¹ ✉, Enrico BETRI ², Gabriele CAPELLI ³

¹ Unità Operativa di Dermatologia, ASST Cremona, Cremona, Italia; ² Unità Operativa di Anatomia Patologica, ASST Cremona, Cremona, Italia; ³ Unità Operativa di Fisica Sanitaria, ASST Cremona, Cremona, Italia

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to value efficacy of Health Education Campaign for early detection of melanoma in Cremona area developed from 1995. The main objective of sensitization campaign is found the major number of thin melanoma and improve the prognosis. The present study was performed to analyze, by epidemiologic survey, if in the period 1995-2014 thin melanomas were significantly increased.
METHODS: We conducted a study on cutaneous melanomas (673 cases) analyzed in the Pathology Unit of Cremona Hospital from 1995 to 2014. We considered the following parameters: patient’s gender, anatomical site of cutaneous melanoma, histological thickness of melanoma according to Breslow. To analyze statistical data we applied estimation of linear regression straight line (link between time variable and annual case number).
RESULTS: In the observed period were identified 673 cutaneous melanoma: 52.8% women and 47.2% men. At the beginning incidence was low (4/5 cases x 100.000 inhabitants) with a high relevance of thick melanomas (thickness >1 mm). In latest years instead incidence was nearly like in North-Europe (14/15 cases x 100.00 inhabitants) and point out increase of thin melanomas (thickness ≤1 mm): 1.3 new annual cases of thin melanomas against 0.6 new annual cases of thick melanomas (thickness >1 mm). Thin melanomas are pointed out more frequently in women.
CONCLUSIONS: The trend in the intervention area show an increase of incidence of cutaneous melanoma with prevalence of thin melanomas. Increased number of screening examination observed in the last 20 years allowed diagnosis of more thin melanomas (thickness ≤1 mm) with a better prognosis for this insidious tumor.

KEY WORDS: Melanoma - Prognosis - Epidemiology