ABSTRACT
In countries with substantially Caucasian populations, the incidence of cutaneous melanoma has risen sharply over recent decades (1-5), with the greatest increases seen in elderly men (2). Epidemiological investigations suggest that increasing melanoma rates are real and due primarily to increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation, rather than a consequence of more complete reporting. Mortality trends in white populations have also been increasing but less steeply than incidence rates (1). An improvement in overall survival has been observed, however (6), attributed to earlier detection (7).
