engleski

Incidence of ocular melanoma in Croatia, 1988 – 2009.

AIM: To investigate the incidence of ocular melanoma in Croatia from 1988 to 2009. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Incidence data were obtained from the Croatian National Cancer Registry. United Nations population estimates were used for calculating the age-specific rates. Age-standardized rates were calculated by the direct standardization method using world standard population as a reference. RESULTS There were a total of 285 cases of ocular melanoma of which 138 were males and 147 females. Malignant melanoma is a rare tumor of the eye in children and adolescents, thus in the group of patients under the age of 19 only two cases of ocular melanoma were registered. Average annual age-standardize incidence rates showed a rapid increase in the age groups of 55 years and more, peaking in the age group of 70-74 years. CONCLUSION: The incidence of ocular melanoma in Croatia during the years 1988 to 2009 was stable. These results are consistent with results from studies in other populations in which stable incidence rates were also obtained. The incidence rate in our population is slightly lower than in northern and western European countries. This difference could be due to diversities in exposure to environmental factors and the influence of skin and eye color respectively. Furthermore, we cannot exclude the impact of inadequate reporting especially during the war.

ocular melanoma, incidence, Croatia

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