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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Policy
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1487177
Analysis and comparison of the trends in burden of malignant cutaneous melanoma in East Asian Countries and Regions and worldwide from 1991 to 2021
Provisionally accepted- First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Objectives: This study aims to analyze temporal trends in the burden of malignant melanoma (MM) in East Asia from 1991 to 2021, focusing on incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and to compare these trends with global data.Methods: Utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database, we examined MM burden across East Asian countries and globally over a 30-year period. We assessed changes in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs, applying the Joinpoint regression model to calculate the average annual percentage change (AAPC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Comparative analyses explored differences across East Asian regions and global trends, emphasizing age, sex, and temporal changes.Results: In East Asia, South Korea exhibited the most significant increase in MM incidence, with the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) rising from 0.603 per 100,000 population (95% CI: 0.389–0.789) in 1991 to 1.896 per 100,000 (95% CI: 0.780–2.499) in 2021. China experienced the largest increase in prevalence, with the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) escalating from 0.699 per 100,000 (95% CI: 0.451–0.864) in 1991 to 4.157 per 100,000 (95% CI: 2.195–5.633) in 2021. Taiwan recorded the highest increases in MM mortality and DALYs; the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) rose from 0.360 per 100,000 (95% CI: 0.339–0.382) in 1991 to 0.414 per 100,000 (95% CI: 0.414) in 2021, and the age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) increased from 10.375 per 100,000 (95% CI: 9.781–11.049) to 11.647 per 100,000 (95% CI: 10.558–12.478) over the same period.Age and gender analyses revealed distinct patterns: ASIR generally increased with age, ASPR initially rose and then plateaued, while both ASMR and ASDR positively correlated with age. Males consistently exhibited higher morbidity and mortality rates than females.Conclusion: From 1991 to 2021, significant variations in MM incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALY rates were observed across East Asian countries and regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and Taiwan. These disparities highlight the necessity for region-specific, proactive prevention strategies and targeted public health interventions to mitigate the growing burden of malignant melanoma in East Asia.
Keywords: malignant melanoma, trend, Incidence, Mortality, Prevalence, Disability-adjusted life years
Received: 27 Aug 2024; Accepted: 14 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Wang, Liu, Liu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Guangshuai Li, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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