Original scientific paper
Epidemiological Data on Melanoma from the Referral Centre in Croatia (2002–2007)
Marija Buljan
Nada Rajačoć
Maja Vurnek Živković
Iva Blajić
Zvonko Kusić
Mirna Šitum
Abstract
Melanoma is considered to be one of the most aggressive skin tumors. Various studies have shown that the incidence
rate for this malignancy is rising rapidly all over the world. Incidence rates vary substantially worldwide with New Zealand
and Australia having the highest rates. In the past 40 years in Croatia the incidence of melanoma is also in rise for
more than 300%. Women and men are almost equally affected. According to anatomical site in most populations the rise
is the greatest for the male trunk, and extremities in both sexes. There has been little change in rates for the head and
neck. In the last decades, melanoma often occurs in relatively younger people, between the age of 25 and 40, rarely in the
childhood. However, survival in patients with melanoma in Western European countries has increased markedly in recent
years, due to timely recognition of the disease. Unfortunately, in Croatia the mortality remains higher even though
the incidence is lower than those in some Western European countries. The authors are presenting epidemiological data
on melanoma during the last 6 years (for the period 2002–2007) from the Croatian Referral Centre for Melanoma which
is placed in the University Hospital »Sestre milosrdnice« in Zagreb.
Keywords
melanoma; epidemiology; melanoma incidence; skin malignancy
Hrčak ID:
34539
URI
Publication date:
1.10.2008.
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