Melanoma incidence rates may differ between the U.S. active-duty military population and the U.S. general population due to potentially higher exposure to sunlight among military personnel and other risk factors for melanoma. However, few studies have compared melanoma incidence rates and trends over time between the military and the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine melanoma incidence rates from 1990 to 2004 among white active-duty military personnel and the general U.S. population, using data from the military's Automated Central Tumor Registry (ACTUR) and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Age-adjusted melanoma rates overall were significantly lower in the military than in the general population; the incidence rate ratio (IRR) was 0.75 for men and 0.56 for women. Age-specific rates, however, were significantly lower among younger individuals aged <45 years but significantly higher among those aged 45 years or older (p-values<0.05). Melanoma incidence rose from 1990-1994 to 2000-2004 in both populations, with the most rapid increase (40%) among younger men in the military. Melanoma incidence rates also varied by branch of military service with rates highest in the Air Force. These results suggest that melanoma incidence rate patterns differ between the two populations, and further studies of risk factors for melanoma in the military are needed to explain these findings.

Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):B80.

Copyright © 2010, American Association for Cancer Research
2010