The following is a summary of “Geotemporal Analysis of Melanoma Incidence and Mortality Identifies Distinct Clusters of Trends within the United States Between 2001 and 2019,” published in the February 2025 issue of Journal of Investigative Dermatology by Latoni et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of geographic diversity on melanoma incidence and mortality trends across the United States over time.
They analyzed age-adjusted melanoma data from all 50 states (2001-2019) using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Hierarchical clustering with complete linkage in Euclidean space identified geo-temporal trend groups over 2 decades. Statistical differences among clusters were evaluated through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
The results showed a global increase in melanoma incidence (b1 = +0.41, P < .0001) with 6 distinct clusters displaying significant temporal variations (ANCOVA P < .0001). Cluster 2 (C2) had the steepest rise (b1 = +0.66, P < .0001). Mortality rates declined overall (b1 = −0.03, P = .0003), forming 3 and 6 clusters by absolute and Z-score analysis (ANCOVA P < .05), with Cluster 1 (C1) showing the smallest decline (b1 = −0.017, P = .008). Mortality-to-incidence ratios also decreased (b1 = −0.0037, P < .0001), forming 4 and 6 clusters (ANCOVA P < .0001), with Cluster 4(C4) having the slowest decline (b1 = −0.003, P < .0001).
Investigators concluded that this study provided a high-dimensional view of melanoma trends over space and time, and that geospatial analyses could reveal localized patterns to aid public health agencies in resource allocation and targeted interventions.
Source: jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(24)01874-8/fulltext
