Melanoma in Adolescents and Young Adults: Declining Incidence, Rising Mortality
Source: Oncology Nurse Advisor, March 2025
Melanoma in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) has distinct epidemiologic characteristics, with a declining incidence over the past 2 decades but an increasing trend in all-cause and cancer-specific mortality among specific populations, according to study results published in Clinics in Dermatology.
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2000 to 2019 to analyze the incidence, mortality, risk factors, and second primary malignancies in AYA patients diagnosed with melanoma. Patients aged 15 to 39 years with a primary cutaneous melanoma diagnosis were included, while those with incomplete pathological or survival data were excluded. Variables such as demographic factors, tumor characteristics, treatment modalities, and survival outcomes were extracted.
A total of 2835 AYAs with melanoma were identified in the database, with the majority being women (66.95%) and White (96.30%). Most patients had a melanoma thickness of 0.01 to 1 mm (49.95%) and were diagnosed at a localized stage (56.37%), with the extremities being the most common tumor site (45.71%). The predominant histological subtype was superficial spreading melanoma (49.52%), and 95.45% of patients underwent surgery. Patients aged 35 to 39 years had the greatest frequency of melanoma (43.74%), which increased with age.