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The melanoma-specific survival (MSS) is heterogenous between stages and is highly dependent on the T stage for primary localized disease. New systemic therapies for metastatic cutaneous melanoma (CM) have been introduced since 2012 in Sweden.

To analyse the incidence and MSS time trends between 1990 and 2020 in Sweden.

Nationwide, population-based, and prospectively collected clinico-pathological data on invasive CM from the Swedish Melanoma Registry (SweMR) were analysed for survival trends between 1990 and 2020 by using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox Proportional Hazard ratios.

In total, 77 036 primary invasive CM were diagnosed in 70 511 patients in Sweden between 1990 and 2020. The 5-year MSS was 88.9% (88.3-89.4) 1990-2000, 89.2% 2001-2010, and 93.0% (92.7-93.9) 2011-2020. The odds ratios for being diagnosed with nodular melanomas (vs. superficial spreading melanoma) was significantly reduced by 20% (2001-2010) and by 46% (2011-2020 vs. 1990-2000). Overall, the MSS improved over both diagnostic periods (2001-2010 and 2011-2020) vs the reference period 1990-2000 among men and women, respectively, (HRmen, 2001-2010: 0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.96; HRmen, 2011-2020: 0.62, 95% CI 0.56-0.67. HRwomen, 2001-2010: 0.82, 95% CI 0.74-0.91; HRwomen, 2011-2020: 0.62, 95% CI 0.56-0.70). The risk of CM-death was significantly lower in all age groups for both men and women in the most recent diagnostic period (2011-2020 vs. 1990-2000).

The results are emphasizing the improved MSS among both men and women in Sweden. The MSS improvements, specifically for the period 2011-2020, may be correlated to the introduction of new systemic therapies and are here shown for the first time in detail for Sweden.

© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.

PMID:37463416