Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Death in Older Malignant Melanoma Patients: A Population-Based Study

Noncancer deaths account for a large proportion of deaths in patients with malignant melanoma (MM), but the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) death in older MM patients remains unclear. This study aimed to estimate the risk of CVD death in older MM patients. Data on older MM patients were obtained in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Risk of CVD death was calculated by standardized mortality rates (SMRs), cumulative mortality and proportion of different causes of death. MM patients had a higher risk of CVD death than general populations (SMR = 1.98; 95% CI 1.93−2.03, p < 0.001). CVD death was more common in MM patients who were diagnosed at age 85 or older, had a localized stage, were white, had surgical treatment, had a primary head/neck/upper limb site and had a low-grade and superficial spreading/lentigo malignant pathologic type. Cumulative CVD mortality was more common than primary cancer in all older age groups, male or female, and patients with localized-stage disease. Other than primary cancer, CVD was the main cause of death in older patients diagnosed with MM. Our findings highlight CVD death is an important competing event of deaths in older MM patients, and more attention should be paid to reducing CVD death to improve survival.