Aug 2026· Cancer Epidemiology· Vol 104, pp.
103206
· 0 citations· 42 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Melanoma mortality in Brazil remained stable overall, but with marked age, social, and regional inequalities, and these findings support regionally tailored prevention, early diagnosis, improved health information quality, and equitable access to specialized oncologic care.
Abstract
Background
Cutaneous melanoma is the most lethal skin cancer and its mortality reflects both biological aggressiveness and inequalities in prevention, early diagnosis, and access to specialized care. In Brazil, long-term population-based analyses are needed to characterize temporal, regional, and sociodemographic patterns of melanoma mortality.
Objective
To analyze temporal and regional trends in melanoma mortality in Brazil from 1996 to 2023.
Methods
Deaths from melanoma (ICD-10: C43) recorded between 1996 and 2023 were obtained from the Brazilian Mortality Information System. Crude and age-standardized mortality rates were calculated per 100,000 inhabitants. Temporal trends were evaluated using Prais-Winsten regression, with estimation of annual percent change (APC). Complementary Joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort analyses were performed. Mortality odds were estimated using odds ratios. A 5% significance level was adopted for all analyses.
Results
A total of 39,608 melanoma-related deaths were recorded. The mean age-standardized mortality rate was 0.68 per 100,000 inhabitants, with a stable overall trend. Deaths predominated among men (57.30%). Joinpoint analysis showed an initial increase in overall mortality from 1996 to 2005, followed by a decrease from 2005 to 2023, although the average annual percent change for the full period was not significant. Mortality increased among individuals aged 80 years or older, Indigenous populations, and individuals with lower educational attainment. The North, Northeast, and Central-West regions showed increasing trends, whereas the Southeast showed a decreasing trend. Age-period-cohort analysis suggested declining mortality in younger and intermediate age groups and possible attenuation of cohort effects in more recent generations.
Conclusion
Melanoma mortality in Brazil remained stable overall, but with marked age, social, and regional inequalities. These findings support regionally tailored prevention, early diagnosis, improved health information quality, and equitable access to specialized oncologic care.
BACKGROUND
Melanoma mortality varies markedly across populations, and demographic ageing may obscure changes in underlying risk.
OBJECTIVE
To examine melanoma mortality trends in Brazil from 2015 to 2024, emphasizing age-standardized rates and sex and regional inequalities.
METHODS
We conducted an ecological time-series study using national mortality data for cutaneous malignant melanoma and official population estimates. Crude, age-specific, and age-standardized mortality rates were calculated. National and regional rates were standardized by the direct method using the World Health Organization World Standard Population. Temporal trends were assessed with log-linear and segmented log-linear regression. Sex differences were examined using Poisson regression with population offsets and a sex-by-year interaction term.
RESULTS
A total of 18,963 deaths were recorded. Mortality was concentrated in older age groups and was higher in males (overall rate ratio=1.41; 95% confidence interval: 1.37-1.46), with no evidence that the male excess changed over time (interaction p = 0.995). The age-standardized mortality rate declined from 0.84 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015 to 0.74 in 2024, corresponding to an annual percent change of -1.29% (95% confidence interval: -2.07 to -0.49). No significant change in slope was detected (p = 0.890), whereas crude mortality increased slightly. Regional inequalities persisted after age standardization. In 2024, standardized rates were 1.46 per 100,000 in the South and 0.41 in the North, yielding a South-to-North ratio of 3.55, compared with 5.49 for crude rates.
CONCLUSIONS
Melanoma mortality declined after adjustment for age, while crude mortality increased slightly, indicating an important contribution of population ageing. Persistent male excess and regional inequalities support targeted prevention, early detection, and equitable access to specialized care.
Geovana Soares de Melo, Jacqueline Andréia Bernardes Leão-Cordeiro, Dalete Mota et al.· Cancer Epidemiology· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Croatia has among the highest melanoma mortality rates in the European Union. This study examined temporal trends in melanoma stage at diagnosis, disease burden, and indirect costs in Croatia.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Population-level melanoma incidence data from the Croatian Cancer Registry were analyzed for 2003-2007, 2008-2012, and 2013-2019. Stage distribution and mean annual case numbers were assessed for localized, regional, metastatic, and unknown-stage disease. Disease burden indicators (disability-adjusted life years [DALY], years of life lost [YLL], years lost to disability [YLD]) and indirect costs were evaluated for individuals aged < 60 years in 2000, 2010, and 2019. Analyses were descriptive; no formal statistical testing was performed.
RESULTS
Localized melanoma rose from 55% to 68%, while metastatic disease declined from 17% to 8%. Mean annual localized cases more than doubled, whereas metastatic case counts remained stable. DALYs and YLLs decreased by 19% and 21%, respectively, while YLDs increased. Annual indirect costs declined, with cost savings of €8.3 million (DALY method) and €8.4 million (YLL method).
CONCLUSIONS
Declining DALYs, YLLs, and indirect costs suggest improving melanoma outcomes in Croatia, potentially reflecting earlier detection and therapeutic innovation, and underscore the importance of sustained investment in integrated melanoma control strategies.
Goran Benčina, Marija Buljan, B. Benčina et al.· Expert review of pharmacoeco...· 0 citations
OBJECTIVE
To analyze temporal trends in breast cancer mortality in Brazil, its major geographic regions, and the 27 Federative Units from 2000 to 2023.
METHODS
This ecological time-trend study examined breast cancer mortality among women in Brazil using nationwide mortality data. To improve data quality, mortality rates were corrected through redistribution of ill-defined causes of death, incomplete cancer diagnoses, and adjustments for broader mortality data quality issues, including underreporting, population under-enumeration, and age misreporting. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated using the World Health Organization (WHO) world standard population. Temporal trends were assessed using Prais-Winsten regression models applied to corrected and uncorrected rates, with annual percent change (APC) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
RESULTS
Mortality data correction increased the number of breast cancer deaths by 15.9% in Brazil during 2000-2023, with substantially larger corrections in regions with historically lower data quality, particularly in the North (67.2%) and Northeast (54.8%) during 2000-2007. The magnitude of correction progressively decreased over time in all regions. After correction, age-standardized breast cancer mortality rates in Brazil increased from 22.2 deaths per 100,000 women in 2000-24.2 in 2023. Prais-Winsten regression identified a significant increasing national trend (APC: 0.28%; 95% CI: 0.19-0.38). Increasing trends predominated in the North (0.73%; 95% CI: 0.45-1.02), Northeast (0.82%; 95% CI: 0.63-1.00), and Midwest (1.18%; 95% CI: 0.72-1.63), whereas the Southeast showed a stationary trend (0.14%; 95% CI: -0.04-0.32) and the South a decreasing trend (-0.21%; 95% CI: -0.40 to -0.02).
CONCLUSIONS
Breast cancer mortality in Brazil remains marked by regional inequalities, with increasing trends concentrated in historically underserved regions. Mortality data correction substantially influenced trend estimates, highlighting the importance of reliable data for guiding policies aimed at expanding screening, improving access to timely treatment, and reducing regional disparities.
Juliana Dantas de Araújo Santos Camargo, S. F. Camargo, Amaxsell Thiago Barros de Souza et al.· Cancer Epidemiology· 0 citations
Cancer mortality in Alagoas is increasing steadily, characterized by premature deaths, geographic concentration, and care displacement, and decentralizing the oncology network, expanding screening for preventable tumors, and strengthening home palliative care are priority actions to reduce mortality.
Marianna Victória, C. Rocha, Adriana Martins da Conceição et al.· 0 citations
There was a projected increase in the absolute number of deaths in both sexes, especially in the South and Southeast regions, and the age-adjusted rates indicate a downward trend among men in all regions, despite remaining higher in the South.
Rejane de Souza Reis, Fernanda Cristina da Silva de Lima, Darlan Henrique Nascimento da Silva et al.· Cadernos de Saúde Pública· 0 citations
Simple Summary This study reports the first long-term national analysis of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) mortality trends in Hungary between 1980 and 2020. It provides a detailed comparison of mortality trends by sex and age group, with different epidemiological trends for the two types of malignancies. Melanoma mortality demonstrated a positive downwards trend starting in the mid-1990s, presumably indicating improvements in early detection and treatment, whereas NMSC mortality remained a significant burden, particularly among the elderly. These results underscore the different public health challenges posed by melanoma and NMSC and the need to include NMSC in routine mortality surveillance and disease burden estimation to inform prevention and healthcare planning.
Ágnes Stier, Anna Páldy· Cancers· 0 citations
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