Melanoma in Queensland: incidence, mortality and survival — ASN Events
  1. Schedule
  2. COSA Plenary: Beyond the surface
  3. Melanoma in Queensland: incidence, mortality and survival

Melanoma in Queensland: incidence, mortality and survival (#164)

A C Green 1 , J F Aitken 2 , P D Baade 2 , D R Youldren 2 , B M Smithers 3
  1. Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Qld, Australia
  2. Cancer Council Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  3. Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

There are indications that incidence rates of melanoma are stabilising in Australia. We have investigated age-standardised incidence rates of melanoma, 1982 to 2009, and mortality rates, 1991 to 2009, in Queensland with latest available data from the Queensland Cancer Registry. Using JoinPoint regression, we calculated annual percentage change (APC) in rates. For invasive melanoma, latest age-standardised incidence rates in Queensland (2009) are 82/100,000 and 55/100,000 in males and females respectively. In the last three decades these rates of invasive melanoma have almost plateaued (APC +0.2, males; +0.7, females). Mortality rates in the last two decades have also clearly levelled off in males (APC +0.1) and females (APC -0.4). Rates of in situ melanoma on the other hand continue to rise in both males (APC +5.9) and females (APC +8.5). Finally, we studied the long-term survival of Queensland patients diagnosed with thin melanoma (measured thickness up to 1mm), 1982 to 2006. Melanoma-specific 20-year survival was 96%. The most influential determinants of prognosis included tumour thickness, patient age and histological subtype.