The Association between Sex and Melanoma Diagnosis in Adults Over the Age of 18 Between the Years 1975 - 2018
Abstract
Introduction and Objective. Melanoma is the 5th most common type of cancer in the US and rates are increasing among both males and females. Current evidence suggests that various social and genetic factors are associated with incidence of melanoma diagnosis. However, what has not been thoroughly studied is the behavioral and genetic differences in the male sex and how it affects the onset of melanoma. As such, the objective of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between sex and melanoma diagnosis in adults older than 18-years in the US between 1975 and 2018. Methods. This non-concurrent cohort study utilized data from the SEER Cancer Database to investigate the relationship between sex and the age of melanoma diagnosis. We included adults aged > 18 years diagnosed with melanoma between 1975 and 2018. Exclusions included patients with missing data on study variables (such as sex, age, tumor characteristics, treatment, and follow-up), those diagnosed with other skin cancers or malignancies in addition to melanoma, and patients with a prior history of melanoma. The primary exposure variable was sex, and the primary outcome variable was the age of melanoma diagnosis. Covariates included race/ethnicity, marital status, stage of diagnosis, ulceration, primary site, and histology type. We employed both unadjusted and adjusted linear regression analyses to calculate beta coefficients (β) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. Of the 146, 980 patients with melanoma diagnosis, the average age of melanoma diagnosis in males was 5.2 years older when compared with females after adjusting for potential confounders (β = 5.23; 95% CI 5.03-5.43). Our analysis shows that females (52.7 years; SD 16.9) were, on average, diagnosed earlier than males (58.0 years; SD 15.5). Other factors independently associated with the age of diagnosis were race/ethnicity, marital status, stage of diagnosis, presence of ulceration, primary site, and histology type. Conclusions-Implications. The increased age at diagnosis indicates that better skin protection and surveillance methods should be employed for males. Future research should be geared towards studies that address the genetic and hormonal relationships in melanoma risk while also delving deeper into the social determinants that have yet to be fully studied.
Abstract Category
27. Public Health
Secondary Abstract Category
5. Dermatology
Keywords
melanoma, age, sex
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
The Association between Sex and Melanoma Diagnosis in Adults Over the Age of 18 Between the Years 1975 - 2018
Introduction and Objective. Melanoma is the 5th most common type of cancer in the US and rates are increasing among both males and females. Current evidence suggests that various social and genetic factors are associated with incidence of melanoma diagnosis. However, what has not been thoroughly studied is the behavioral and genetic differences in the male sex and how it affects the onset of melanoma. As such, the objective of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between sex and melanoma diagnosis in adults older than 18-years in the US between 1975 and 2018. Methods. This non-concurrent cohort study utilized data from the SEER Cancer Database to investigate the relationship between sex and the age of melanoma diagnosis. We included adults aged > 18 years diagnosed with melanoma between 1975 and 2018. Exclusions included patients with missing data on study variables (such as sex, age, tumor characteristics, treatment, and follow-up), those diagnosed with other skin cancers or malignancies in addition to melanoma, and patients with a prior history of melanoma. The primary exposure variable was sex, and the primary outcome variable was the age of melanoma diagnosis. Covariates included race/ethnicity, marital status, stage of diagnosis, ulceration, primary site, and histology type. We employed both unadjusted and adjusted linear regression analyses to calculate beta coefficients (β) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. Of the 146, 980 patients with melanoma diagnosis, the average age of melanoma diagnosis in males was 5.2 years older when compared with females after adjusting for potential confounders (β = 5.23; 95% CI 5.03-5.43). Our analysis shows that females (52.7 years; SD 16.9) were, on average, diagnosed earlier than males (58.0 years; SD 15.5). Other factors independently associated with the age of diagnosis were race/ethnicity, marital status, stage of diagnosis, presence of ulceration, primary site, and histology type. Conclusions-Implications. The increased age at diagnosis indicates that better skin protection and surveillance methods should be employed for males. Future research should be geared towards studies that address the genetic and hormonal relationships in melanoma risk while also delving deeper into the social determinants that have yet to be fully studied.