Differences in Uveal Melanoma Age-Standardized Incidence Rates in Two Eastern States of Australia Are Driven by Differences in Rurality and Ultraviolet Radiation

Abstract

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the second-most-common melanoma in humans and has a high age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) in Australia. Regional patterns of UM ASRs in Australia are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine and compare UM ASRs in two geographically disparate eastern states, Queensland (QLD) and Victoria (VIC), by using cancer registry data that was obtained from 2001 to 2013. World-standardized UM ASRs and incidence-rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated. Higher UM ASR was also observed in anterior UM compared to posterior UM ASR. UM ASR remained unchanged from 2001 to 2013 in QLD but decreased in VIC. A south-to-north latitude trend in UM ASR along the east of Australia is weakly evident, and rural populations have higher UM ASRs than major city populations in both states. Differences in ultraviolent radiation (UVR) susceptibility, indigenous populations, social behaviours, chemical exposure, and socioeconomic status could all be contributing to differences in UM rates between QLD and VIC and between rural compared to major city areas. It is possible that a minority of cases in QLD and VIC might be prevented by sun-protective behaviours. This is important, because these findings suggest that QLD, which is already known to have one of the highest cutaneous melanoma (CM) ASRs in the world, also has one of the highest UM ASRs.

Incidence and Mortality of Uveal Melanoma in Hungary: A Nationwide Study

“…Similar to those of previous studies [ 15 , 26 , 27 , 30 , 32 , 38 ], the age-standardised incidence rates of UM in our study were higher in men than in women, which may be partly associated with occupational exposure (chemical carcinogens) and diverse environmental factors (sunlight and ultraviolet and blue light) [ 1 , 2 ].…”

“…The incidence rates and trends of UM vary among countries owing to different risk factors and population structures [ 12 ]. Our incidence rates are consistent with those of previous reports on the incidence of UM: 9.6 cases/million between 1960 and 2009 in Sweden [ 24 ], 6.4 cases/million between 2011 and 2017 in Canada [ 12 ], 6.4 cases/million between 2009 and 2015 in Germany [ 13 ], 6.7 cases/million between 1988 and 2007 in Israel [ 10 ], 7.0 cases/million between 1994 and 2008 in Scotland [ 25 ], 7.4 cases/million between 1943 and 1952 in Denmark [ 8 ], 6.1–7.6 cases/million between 1982 and 2014 in Australia [ 26 , 27 ], 8.6 cases/million in 2016 in Northern Ireland [ 28 ], 9 cases/million between 1953 and 1960 in Norway [ 29 ], 9.5 cases/million between 2010 and 2015 in Ireland [ 30 ], 10.0 cases/million between 1999 and 2010 in England [ 15 ]. However, the Hungarian incidence rates were higher than those in South Korea between 1999 and 2011 (0.4 cases/million) [ 31 ], China between 1990 and 2005 (0.6 cases/million), Japan between 2011 and 2013 (0.64 cases/million) [ 7 ], Brazil between 2010 and 2015 (4.6 cases/million) [ 16 ], the USA between 1973 and 2008 (5.1 cases/million) [ 11 ], and the USA between 2010 and 2015 (4.6 cases/million) [ 32 ].…”

Environmental influences on ophthalmic conditions: A scoping review

“…A retrospective analysis found a positive correlation between UVR exposure and uveal melanoma (UM) across two states in Australia (74% greater incidence in high UVR index state; 95% CI: 40–115%) controlling for age, sex and year of diagnosis 55 …”

“…UV‐A radiation has greater transmission through anterior ocular structures than UV‐B, despite the latter being more hazardous, and thus may be the main contributor of oxidative stress damage and carcinogenic changes in the eye 55 …”

“…A retrospective analysis found a positive correlation between UVR exposure and uveal melanoma (UM) across two states in Australia (74% greater incidence in high UVR index state; 95% CI: 40-115%) controlling for age, sex and year of diagnosis. 55 3.12 | Cataract 3.12.1 | Air pollution Higher O 3 concentration was protective against cataract development in a model controlling for other pollutants, socioeconomic factors and comorbidities (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.69-0.93). 56 A cohort study conducted in South Korea confirmed the negative association between O 3 and cataract development.…”