Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma has increased rapidly worldwide over the past 60 years, moving from a rare cancer to one of the most common in the USA. This epidemic has led to epidemiologic and clinical studies to elucidate risk factors for cutaneous melanoma. The risk of melanoma varies by race and ethnicity. Lower socioeconomic status is associated with more advanced melanoma at the time of diagnosis. Identified risk factors for cutaneous melanoma include ultraviolet light exposure (sun and artificial) and host susceptibility factors such as family history of melanoma, dysplastic nevi, increased number of nevi, light pigmentation (skin, hair, and eyes), and immunosuppression. Comprehensive sun/ultraviolet radiation (UV) protection measures, such as those implemented in Australia since the 1990s, are now showing an impact with decreasing incidence of cutaneous melanoma. Mucosal melanoma is distinct from cutaneous melanoma and does not appear to be UV-related. No known risk factors have been identified except for race and gender. Ocular melanoma is also a distinct entity with less evidence of UV exposure as a risk factor than for cutaneous. Host factors include light pigmentation and choroidal/iris nevi. Reciprocal increases in ocular and cutaneous melanoma suggest some common risk factors.
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Tucker, M.A. (2019). Epidemiology of Melanocytic Neoplasia. In: Fisher, D., Bastian, B. (eds) Melanoma. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7147-9_33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7147-9_33
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