Incidence of Melanoma of the Skin by County, New Mexico, 2017-2021
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Incidence of Melanoma of the Skin by County, New Mexico, 2017-2021
Why Is This Important?
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that occurs in cells called melanocytes, which produce the skin pigment called melanin. Early detection is important, and treatment is often successful when the melanoma is found in its early stages. Each year, melanoma accounts for approximately 5% of all new cancer cases and 1.3% of all cancer deaths in the U.S, which represents approximately 99,780 cases and 7,650 deaths. The five-year survival rate is 94%. The primary risk factor for melanoma is excess exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or tanning beds.
Definition
Melanoma of the skin incidence refers to the number of persons newly diagnosed with melanoma of the skin during a specified time period. Measures include: 1) the number of newly diagnosed melanoma of the skin cases; and 2) age-adjusted incidence rate of melanoma of the skin (adjusted by the direct method to the 2000 US standard population). All rates are expressed per 100,000 persons.
Data Notes
- Rates have been age-adjusted using the direct method and the 2000 U.S. standard population.
- Rates have been age-adjusted using the direct method and the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Data Sources
- New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
(http://gps.unm.edu/) - New Mexico Tumor Registry
(https://nmtrweb.unm.edu/)
How the Measure is Calculated
Numerator:
The number of cases of melanoma of the skin newly diagnosed in New Mexico residents within a specified time period. The data are based on the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program incidence site recode for melanoma (SEER Recode B: 25010; ICD-O-3 codes: primary site C440-C449, histologies 8720-8790; Invasive melanoma (behavior code 3).Denominator:
The estimated population of New Mexico residents within a specified time period.
Data Issues
New Mexico Population Estimates
All population estimates apply to July 1 of the selected year. These estimates are considered the most accurate estimates for the state of New Mexico and should match those found on the University of New Mexico Geospatial and Population Studies website. Estimates include decimal fractions. Census tract population estimates were summed to produce County and Small Area population estimates. Population estimate totals may vary due to rounding. Population estimates for previous years are occasionally revised as new information becomes available. When publishing trend data, always be sure that your rates for earlier years match current rates on NM-IBIS that have been calculated with the most up-to-date population estimates.
New Mexico Tumor Registry
In agreement with the New Mexico Tumor Registry, to ensure confidentiality the count of cancer cases is suppressed for any given county if the count is between one and four and the population is less than 1,000. NOTE: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health services, leading to delays and reductions in cancer screening, diagnosis, and reporting to some central cancer registries. This may have contributed to an observed decline in 2020 incidence for most cancer sites.