Does deprivation of area of residence influence the incidence, tumour site or T stage of cutaneous malignant melanoma? A population-based and clinical database study.

This study aimed to document the incidence of malignant melanoma at specific subsites in men and women, stratified by deprivation of area of residence in southeast England, and to explore the association between deprivation and tumour thickness at diagnosis. Data were extracted on 6468 cases from the Thames Cancer Registry for the years 1998 to 2002, and data on, and 508 cases were extracted from the clinical database of the Skin Tumour Unit, St Thomas' Hospital, for the years 1996 to 2004. The postcode of residence was used to assign quintiles of deprivation based on the income domain stated in the Indices of Deprivation 2000. For both males and females, the incidence was higher for those living in the most affluent areas. The trunk was the most common site in males and the lower limbs in females. All sites showed an affluence gradient, although this was least pronounced for head and neck tumours. Distribution of T stage at diagnosis did not differ by deprivation of area of residence.