Melanoma in South‐East Europe: epidemiological data from the central cancer registry and clinicopathological characteristics from the hospital‐based registry in Serbia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Melanoma in South-East Europe shows varying incidence from 1.7 per 100,000 in Albania to 14.5 per 100,000 in Slovenia, but more detailed data from this region are scarce. In this study, we report epidemiological and clinicopathological characteristics of melanoma in central Serbia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Epidemiological data were retrieved from the Cancer Registry of Central Serbia and clinicopathological data from the hospital-based registry. RESULTS: The ASR(W) incidence rate of melanoma was 4.2/100,000 (males) and 3.9/100,000 (females), and ASR(W) mortality rates were 1.9/100,000 (males) and 1.4/100,000 (females), with recorded rising trends in both of them. Data from the hospital-based registry revealed a total of 266 patients treated from 2005 to 2010, with the median age at diagnosis of 57 (13-86) years. The most frequent histopathological subtype was superficial spreading melanoma (SSM; 63.53%), and ulceration was present in 40.6% of primary tumors. Median Breslow thickness was 3 mm (0.1-25 mm). Primary tumors with thickness of more than 4 mm were found in 31.95% of patients, and in this group statistically significant difference was found for younger age in patients with SSM (55 years vs. 61 years, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Low incidence rates in central Serbia and probably other countries of South-East Europe are accompanied by a large percentage of thick tumors and a significant proportion of younger patients with thick tumors. This points to the urgent need for more effective primary and secondary prevention of melanoma in these countries.