Uveal and conjunctival malignant melanoma in Denmark, 1943-97: incidence and validation study

PURPOSE: To study the incidence of malignant melanoma in the ocular region in Denmark during the period 1943-97.

METHODS: The patients were mainly identified through the Danish Cancer Registry. Age-period-cohort modelling of the incidence rates was done based on age at diagnosis, calendar period and birth cohort in 5-year groups and for each gender.

RESULTS: The age-standardized incidence of malignant melanoma in the ocular region was 0.78 for men (N = 1327) and 0.65 for women (N = 1242) per 100,000 person-years. Calendar period and birth cohort had no effect on the incidence in the ocular region or in the topography subgroups choroid/ciliary body and conjunctiva. However, the incidence increased with birth cohort for iris melanomas.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of malignant melanoma in the ocular region was stable in contrast to a major increase in cutaneous melanoma in Denmark during the period 1943-97. The incidence of iris melanomas increased substantially, whereas the rate was stable for choroid/ciliary body and conjunctival melanomas.