Cutaneous melanoma: a population-based epidemiology report with 989 patients in Hong Kong

Studies in white populations have confirmed advanced age as a risk factor for cutaneous melanoma, but in nonwhite populations, its role is less clear. To clarify a possible association in our local population, comprising 94.9% Chinese, a retrospective epidemiological study of 20 years of data on cutaneous melanoma between 1983 and 2002 from a central cancer registry in Hong Kong was conducted. There were 989 new cases and 378 death cases registered, and analysis showed that both the incidence and mortality rate of cutaneous melanoma increase with increasing age. Advanced age is thus confirmed as a risk factor for cutaneous melanoma in our local population. In an ageing population, the estimated future incidence and mortality rate of cutaneous melanoma are likely to increase.