Posted: Thursday, May 2, 2024
According to Oliver J. Wisco, DO, of Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues, there appeared to be significant associations between epidemiologic melanoma trends and comorbidities, with myocardial infarction being a relevant risk factor. Their findings, which were presented as a poster during the 2024 American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) Annual Meeting (Poster 54581), also underscore the roles of Hawaiian background and male gender in melanoma incidence and mortality.
Using state-level data from 2014 to 2018, the investigators examined how comorbid conditions (ie, acute myocardial infarction, AIDS, obesity, and diabetes) may impact melanoma risk and survival. The analyses were controlled for race, age, and gender.
A 1% increase in the male population appeared to correlate with a decrease of 5.4 cases per 100,000 people in the incidence of melanoma (P < .05). Likewise, for every 1% decrease in the prevalence of diabetes, there seemed to be a corresponding decrease of 5.0 cases per 100,000 people (P < .05). A 10,000-person increase in the Hawaiian population was furthermore found to be associated with a rise of 1.1 cases per 100,000 people (P < .05).
The investigators reported a negative correlation between the male population and melanoma mortality (coefficient: –0.3; P < .05). Moreover, a 1% increase in the prevalence of myocardial infarction was found to be linked to a 0.5 cases per 100,000 people increase in melanoma mortality (P < .05).
“[These findings may] influence future screening strategies and patient outcomes,” the investigators concluded. “Further research is warranted to better understand [the observed associations].”
Disclosure: No disclosure information for the study authors was provided.