Cutaneous malignant melanoma in Hawaii--an update

In an examination of the descriptive epidemiology of cutaneous malignant melanoma in Hawaii for the period of 1960 through 1980, we identified 589 cases of invasive disease. On analysis, we found that the incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma increased substantially among all age groups, both sexes and all anatomic sites in whites during the study period. In contrast, little change in incidence was found for nonwhites. Our findings are in agreement with the hypothesis that solar ultraviolet radiation is a causal factor for the occurrence of this condition among whites.