Incidence Rates and Time Trends of Skin Cancer in Golestan Province, Northeastern Iran, 2005-2018.

Background: Given the significant occurrence of skin cancer in the Middle East and the existing research gap concerning its incidence and trends, this research aimed to study the epidemiology and trend changes of skin cancer in the Golestan province, Northeastern Iran.

Methods: The Golestan Population-based Cancer Registry's (GPCR's) data bank was utilized to gather information on confirmed skin cancer cases in the province during 2005-2018. We used Poisson regression analysis for comparing incidence rates between groups. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: Of 1690 patients (mean age: 62.05±15.83 years), most were male (60.1%) and resided in urban areas (61.5%). The age-standardized rate (ASR) of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer was 8.49 and 0.56 per 100000 persons-year, respectively. A notably higher ASR for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) was observed in men (ASR: 10.60; 95% CI: 9.91-11.29) (P<0.01) and urban residents (ASR: 10.19; 95% CI: 9.52-10.82) (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the ASR of melanoma skin cancer based on gender (P=0.24) and place of residence (P=0.48). The incidence trend of melanoma (estimated annual percent change [EAPC]: -3.28; 95% CI: -18.54 to 14.83) and NMSC (EAPC: 0.39; 95% CI: -3.99 to 4.97) did not differ significantly.

Conclusion: During the 14-year study period, the ASR of both types of skin cancer exhibited a consistent pattern, except for NMSC, which showed higher rates among men and urban residents. This should be taken into consideration when formulating preventive and control strategies in the study area.