Global Burden and Drivers of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma Among Women Aged 55 and Older.

BACKGROUND

This study assessed the global burden of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) among females aged ≥55 years from 1990 to 2021-a population that has been historically aggregated into broader age categories in previous GBD analyses, despite representing a high-risk group with distinct epidemiological patterns and clinical outcomes. By combining age-specific trend analysis with formal driver decomposition, this study provides novel insights into sex-specific and age-specific burden patterns that have been previously obscured.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify temporal trends and geographic disparities in incidence and disability, and to identify key contributors to changes in CMM burden in older women through formal decomposition analysis.

METHODS

Utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, we analyzed age-standardized incidence and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates, estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs), and performed decomposition analysis to quantify contributions from population growth, aging, and epidemiological change.

RESULTS

Globally, age-standardized incidence rates increased (EAPC=0.90), while DALY rates declined (EAPC=-0.42). The highest EAPC for incidence rate was observed in Eastern Europe (EAPC=3.33) and at the national level in Côte d'Ivoire (EAPC=5.58). High-middle SDI regions recorded the most rapid rise in incidence numbers (EAPC=4.18). Decomposition analysis revealed population growth as the primary driver of absolute burden increases, contributing 75.89% to the rise in incident cases and 118.77% to the increase in DALYs, though epidemiological change substantially contributed to incidence growth in regions like Central Europe (62.09%).

CONCLUSION

The CMM burden in older women continues to rise, driven by demographic forces and increasing disease risk, with significant geographic heterogeneity. Targeted prevention and healthcare strategies are urgently needed, especially in regions experiencing rapid epidemiological transition.