The Incidence of Malignant Melanoma in Two Different Cultural Settings and the Probable Role of Clothing in Melanoma Prevention

Introduction: Malignant melanoma is a fatal cutaneous neoplasm and one of the fastest growing cancers worldwide. The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of melanoma in different cultural settings and investigate the probable role of clothing for the prevention. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from the Kerman and Rafsanjan Cancer Registries from 2005 to 2009 on age, pathology, sex, location, and site of skin involvement of diagnosed melanoma patients in Kerman Province, Iran. Similar data related to melanoma incidence in Victoria, Australia were obtained from the Victorian Cancer Council, Melbourne. Incidence was calculated by age, sex and site of skin in both Kerman Province and Victoria State. Then the incidence differences for exposed and unexposed limbs were calculated and compared. Results: Melanoma incidence in Kerman was 5.7 in million per year. Incidence in men was higher than women. The highest incidence was observed at 70-79 years of age. Most cases of melanoma (30%) were localized in the face. Incidence in Victoria State was 431.9 in million per year. The incidence in men was more than women. The highest incidence was observed at above 80 years of age. Conclusion: The present study suggests that clothing is possibly preventing about 25.7, 37.4 and 72.6 cases of melanoma annually, respectively in the trunk, arm and leg, in every 1,000,000 people in Iran.