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Only few studies that have investigated the Health-Related Quality of Life (HR-QoL) in melanoma patients 1-4 , reviewed in Chernyshov et al.5 . This is to the best of our knowledge the first population-based study investigating HR-QoL in proximity to the time the patient has received melanoma diagnosis. A cross-sectional survey, approved by the ethics committee in Umeå, employing the Swedish European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30v.3.0) was performed.

Background: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most western countries, though the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of last millennium. Objectives: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T-category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed 1997-2011. Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 30 590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause-of-Death Register. Results: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, and health care region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P = 0·0008) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed 2007-2011 compared to men diagnosed 1997-2001 (hazard ratio=0·81; 95% CI 0·72-0·91, P = 0·0009) while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared to those diagnosed earlier 1997-2001 and later 2007-2011. Conclusion: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.

Background: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most western countries, though the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of last millennium. Objectives: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T-category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed 1997-2011. Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 30 590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause-of-Death Register. Results: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, and health care region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P = 0·0008) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed 2007-2011 compared to men diagnosed 1997-2001 (hazard ratio=0·81; 95% CI 0·72-0·91, P = 0·0009) while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared to those diagnosed earlier 1997-2001 and later 2007-2011. Conclusion: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.

Background: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most western countries, though the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of last millennium. Objectives: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T-category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed 1997-2011. Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 30 590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause-of-Death Register. Results: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, and health care region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P = 0·0008) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed 2007-2011 compared to men diagnosed 1997-2001 (hazard ratio=0·81; 95% CI 0·72-0·91, P = 0·0009) while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared to those diagnosed earlier 1997-2001 and later 2007-2011. Conclusion: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.

Background: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most western countries, though the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of last millennium. Objectives: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T-category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed 1997-2011. Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 30 590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause-of-Death Register. Results: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, and health care region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P = 0·0008) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed 2007-2011 compared to men diagnosed 1997-2001 (hazard ratio=0·81; 95% CI 0·72-0·91, P = 0·0009) while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared to those diagnosed earlier 1997-2001 and later 2007-2011. Conclusion: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.

Background: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most western countries, though the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of last millennium. Objectives: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T-category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed 1997-2011. Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 30 590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause-of-Death Register. Results: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, and health care region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P = 0·0008) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed 2007-2011 compared to men diagnosed 1997-2001 (hazard ratio=0·81; 95% CI 0·72-0·91, P = 0·0009) while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared to those diagnosed earlier 1997-2001 and later 2007-2011. Conclusion: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.

Background: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most western countries, though the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of last millennium. Objectives: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T-category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed 1997-2011. Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 30 590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause-of-Death Register. Results: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, and health care region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P = 0·0008) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed 2007-2011 compared to men diagnosed 1997-2001 (hazard ratio=0·81; 95% CI 0·72-0·91, P = 0·0009) while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared to those diagnosed earlier 1997-2001 and later 2007-2011. Conclusion: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.

BACKGROUND: A worse outcome has been reported for cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) patients with low socioeconomic status. We have investigated the association between level of education, clinical stage at diagnosis (stage at diagnosis) and CMM-specific survival in Sweden. METHODS: We identified 27,235 patients from the Swedish Melanoma Register diagnosed with a primary invasive CMM between 1990 and 2007 and linked data to nationwide, population-based, health and census registers with a follow-up to 2010. RESULTS: The odds ratio (OR) of higher disease stage at diagnosis was significantly increased in lower education groups (OR stage II versus I=1.6; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.5-1.7. OR stage III-IV versus I=2.3; 95% CI=1.8-2.9). The risk of dying of CMM, was significantly increased in patients with low (hazard ratio (HR) low versus high=2.02; 95% CI=1.80-2.26; p<0.0001) and intermediate (HR intermediate versus high=1.35; 95% CI=1.20-1.51; p<0.0001) level of education. After adjustment for age, gender, stage at diagnosis and other known prognostic factors, the HRs remained significant for low versus high (HR=1.13; 95% CI=1.01-1.27; p=0.04) but not for intermediate versus high (HR=1.11; 95% CI=0.99-1.24; p=0.08) education. The HR associated with low level of education was significantly higher among female patients, patients <55years, patients with truncal tumours and during the first 5years after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Lower level of education is associated with reduced CMM-specific survival, which may at least partially be attributed to a more advanced stage at diagnosis. These results emphasise the need for improved early detection strategies.