PROFILE OF MALIGNANT MELANOMA IN BRAZIL: INCIDENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN THE SOUTHERN REGION BETWEEN 2019 AND 2024

Abstract

Malignant melanoma is a skin neoplasm derived from the pathological transformation of melanocytes and represents approximately 5% of malignant skin neoplasms. Its highly aggressive nature and the significant increase in its incidence in recent decades require early diagnosis to improve outcomes. To evaluate the difference in the prevalence of malignant melanoma in the South region in relation to the other regions of Brazil, as well as to compare the forms of presentation of the disease according to stage, age group and sex. This is an observational, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, considering cases of melanoma in situ between 2019-2024. Secondary data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) managed by the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) were used. According to the data collected, the South region has the highest number of cases of malignant melanoma of the skin during the period from 2019 to 2024, registering 12,253 cases out of a total of 30,079 cases in the country, which corresponds to 40.7% of the total cases. The age of 60 to 64 years was the most affected in the South region, with 1,661 of the 3,873 cases in the country, which is equivalent to 42.9% of the total in this age group and 13.5% of the total cases in the region. In the South, there were 997 records of stage 4 melanomas, equivalent to 33.6% of the total of 2,971 cases, being slightly behind only the Southeast region, with 1004 cases (33.8%). Of the diagnoses in the South region, 6,360 were made in women and 5,893 in men, which represents a number 3.8% higher in women. This difference is the largest among the regions, since females were 1.2%, 2.5% and 1.94% more affected than males in the Northeast, Southeast and Central-West regions, respectively. Malignant melanoma, although it is a less frequent neoplasm compared to other types of skin cancer, has a high mortality, especially in cases diagnosed late. This study revealed that the southern region of Brazil concentrates the highest number of cases of malignant melanoma in the analyzed period, representing 40.7% of national diagnoses between 2019 and 2024. This scenario is closely linked to the predominance of risk factors in the local population, such as the higher percentage of individuals with clear phototypes, as a result of intense European immigration to the region.