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Melanoma is rare in children, but its incidence appears to be rising. A recent report based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database confirms an increased incidence of approximately 2.9% per year in children from 1973 to 2001. Melanoma in adolescents also appears to be rising, not only in the U.S. but in Sweden too.
The National Cancer Data Base collects data on incident cancer from U.S. hospital-based tumor registries. Data from 1985 through 2003 were reviewed to elucidate demographics, presentation, and survival of children (age range, 1–19 years) with melanoma. Data for patients ages 20 to 24 were used for comparison.
Of 3158 patients ages 1 to 19, 96.3% had cutaneous melanoma, 3.0% had ocular melanoma, and 0.7% h…