Secular Trends in Mortality From Malignant Melanoma<xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2">2</xref>

Abstract

The reported number of deaths from malignant melanoma has been rising rapidly in both the United States and England and Wales. This rise is found in all age groups and, at ages under 65, is too large to be accounted for by a transfer of deaths from unspecified skin cancer. The trends of age-specific mortality rates are compatible with a generation effect, beginning with those born around the turn of the century. These findings more likely result from an increase in the incidence of malignant melanoma than from a systematic improvement in certification.