Survival trends for patients diagnosed with cutaneous malignant melanoma in the Nordic countries 1990-2016 : The NORDCAN survival studies

• Published in: European Journal of Cancer
• Main Authors: Lundberg, Frida E., Birgisson, Helgi, Engholm, Gerda, Ólafsdóttir, Elínborg J., Mørch, Lina Steinrud, Johannesen, Tom Børge, Pettersson, David, Lambe, Mats, Seppä, Karri, Lambert, Paul C., Johansson, Anna L.V., Hölmich, Lisbet Rosenkrantz, Andersson, Therese M.L.
• Other Authors: Tampere University, Health Sciences
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: 3142 Public health care science; environmental and occupational health; Iceland
• Online Access: https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/155797; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2024.113980

Background: The survival in patients diagnosed with cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) has improved in the Nordic countries in the last decades. It is of interest to know if these improvements are observed in all ages and for both women and men. Methods: Patients diagnosed with CMM in the Nordic countries in 1990–2016 were identified in the NORDCAN database. Flexible parametric relative survival models were fitted, except for Iceland where a non-parametric Pohar-Perme approach was used. A range of survival metrics were estimated by sex, both age-standardised and age-specific. Results: The 5-year relative survival improved in all countries, in both women and men and across age. While the improvement was more pronounced in men, women still had a higher survival at the end of the study period. The survival was generally high, with age-standardised estimates of 5-year relative survival towards the end of the study period ranging from 85% in Icelandic men to 95% in Danish women. The age-standardised and reference-adjusted 5-year crude probability of death due to CMM ranged from 5% in Danish and Swedish women to 13% in Icelandic men. Conclusion: Although survival following CMM was relatively high in the Nordic countries in 1990, continued improvements in survival were observed throughout the study period in both women and men and across age. Peer reviewed