Mortality Frequency and Trends Attributed to Melanoma in Brazil from 1980–2005

Abstract

Melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer deaths in Brazil, and accounts for 1% of cancer deaths. This study aimed to analyze mortality attributed to melanoma in Brazil during the period 1980–2005, for the population as whole and with respect to the age, gender, and geographical patterns of distribution, and the data were subsequently compared to melanoma frequency rates observed in other countries. Annual age-standardized mortality rates were ascertained for all regions with data provided by the National Mortality System. An exploratory analysis using log-transformed Poisson regression was conducted, and changes in mortality trends during this period were evaluated. Then the best-fitted trend model, ascertainment of the annual average percentage change (AAPC) during 1980–2005, was identified. Mortality associated with melanoma in Brazil increased during the period studied, with the APCC for the whole country being 1.1%. The rate was highest among the elderly: APCC 2.8% in those over 70 years old and 2.3% in females. The mortality ratio comparing South and North regions was 7 in 2005. An increase in mortality frequency associated with melanoma occurred in Brazil since 1980, with different patterns noted by gender, age and region. The observed results highlight the relevance of and need for public health policies toward skin cancer control.

This study was supported by the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq), grant 475502/2008-3. Rosalina Koifman and Sergio Koifman are sponsored by different research grants from the Brazilian National Research Council-CNPq and the State of Rio de Janeiro Research Council (FAPERJ). Sergio Koifman is an Irving J. Selikoff International Scholar of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. His work was supported in part by award D43TW00640 from the Fogarty International Center. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Fogarty International Center or the National Institutes of Health.