Temporal Trends of Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Mortality Rates in Hungary Between 1980 and 2020

Background: Long-term mortality trends for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in Hungary have not been comprehensively assessed. Methods: We conducted a retrospective nationwide study of deaths registered in Hungary between 1980 and 2020 among individuals aged 35 years or older, where melanoma (ICD-10 C43) or NMSC (ICD-10 C44) was recorded as the primary cause of death. Annual crude death rates (CDRs; overall and age-specific 35-64 and ≥65 years) and age-standardised death rates (ASDRs) per 100,000 population were calculated by sex. Trends were analysed using Joinpoint regression. Results: Overall, 18,857 skin cancer deaths, including 12,026 melanoma and 6831 NMSC deaths, were identified. Melanoma mortality was consistently higher in men. Among men, melanoma ASDR increased until 1994 and then stabilised, while crude mortality among older men continued to increase. Among women, the ASDR of melanoma increased until 1994 and subsequently declined. Crude mortality decreased after 2005 in women aged 35-64 years. Although NMSC mortality was lower than melanoma mortality, NMSC accounted for 36.2% of skin cancer deaths. In both sexes, NMSC mortality was concentrated in adults ≥ 65 years. In older women, crude NMSC mortality increased again after the mid-2000s, whereas ASDR remained broadly stable. Conclusions: Melanoma mortality trends in Hungary partially stabilised or improved after the mid-1990s, particularly in age-standardised analyses, but mortality remained high among older adults, especially among men. NMSC represented a substantial proportion of skin cancer deaths, with the burden concentrated in adults ≥ 65 years, supporting the inclusion of NMSC in routine mortality surveillance and disease burden assessments.