Primary oral melanoma: population-based incidence

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Epidemiology
• Oral Medicine

Background:

• Primary oral melanoma (POM) is a rare malignancy with typically late diagnosis and poor prognosis.
• Limited epidemiological data exists for POM over the last four decades.
• Understanding POM incidence is crucial for early detection and improved patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of primary oral melanoma using a large population-based database.
• To identify common anatomical sites affected by POM.
• To provide updated epidemiological insights into this rare cancer.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents volume IX (CI5-IX) database.
• Inclusion of data from population-based cancer registries worldwide.
• Identification and tabulation of primary oral melanoma (POM) cases and oral cavity cancers.

Main Results:

• A total of 124,436 oral cavity cancers and 319 primary oral melanoma (POM) cases were analyzed from 67 registries.
• POM constitutes 0.26% of all oral cavity cancers in the analyzed dataset.
• The most frequent sites for POM were the palate (47%) and gums (27.6%). Age-standardized rates (ASR(W)) did not exceed 0.01 per 100,000 persons-year.

Conclusions:

• This study represents the largest analysis of POM cases to date, providing significant epidemiological insights.
• The palate and gums are the primary anatomical locations for oral melanoma.
• Routine detailed oral mucosa examination and biopsies of suspicious lesions, particularly in elderly patients, are recommended for early POM detection.