Recent trends (1991-2010) of metastatic skin cancers in Korea

The incidence of overall cancer has increased over time. The incidence of top-ranking cancers has changed in the 1990s and the 2000s. However, few studies have evaluated the trends in metastatic skin cancers during this period. We evaluated the recent trends in incidence, peak age and location of metastatic skin cancers from 1991 to 2010. This 20-yr survey was divided into two decades to determine the trends by comparing the statistics. Out of 694,466 outpatients (1991-2010), 174 (0.025%) were diagnosed with metastatic skin cancer. The incidence of metastatic skin cancer increased significantly from 20.64 per 100,000 outpatients in the 1990s to 28.70 per 100,000 outpatients in the 2000s (P = 0.030). The peak age of skin metastasis shifted from the 40s to the 50s in women, and from the 50s to the 60s in men. The percentage of metastatic skin cancers originating from intra-abdominal organs increased from 10% in the 1990s to 23.1% in the 2000s (P = 0.027). The percentage of metastatic skin cancers located on the abdomen increased from 7.1% in the 1990s to 15.4% in the 2000s (P = 0.011). The higher proportion of metastatic skin cancers located on the abdomen may be related to the increase in skin metastases from intra-abdominal organs.