Malignant melanoma in the resident population of Rochester, Minnesota.

The incidence of malignant melanoma in the population of Rochester, Minnesota, was studied through use of the countywide diagnostic indexing system at the Mayo Clinic. The average annual incidence of cutaneous melanoma (4.0/100,000 creude, 4.2 adjusted to the age structure of the US 1950 population) was similar to that reported by the Third National Cancer Survey for 1969 through 1971 for locations in the United States at the approximate latitude of Rochester. Unlike reports from other studies, no change in incidence rate during the 25 years 1950 through 1974 was detjected in Rochester. The crude annual incidence of malignant melanoma of the eye, also determined for the same period, was 1.3/100,000.