[Every second hour there is a new melanoma diagnosed in Sweden].

Every second hour there is a new melanoma diagnosed in Sweden The incidence of melanoma in Sweden is catching up on Australia and is now close to 40/100 000 inhabitants/year, an increase of more than 5 %/year during the last 10 years. Swedes love the sun and travel a lot to sunny places like Spain and Thailand. There is a clear socioeconomic trend: the better economy and education, the more you travel and the more melanoma you get. Sunbed use is a clear risk factor and is now prohibited for young people. The proportion of thin melanomas (4 mm). This group with a much worse prognosis is mostly old people, both women and men, who do not seem to seek medical care in time. Mortality is quite steady, 5/100 000/year, translating to 500 patients, double the number of Swedes killed in traffic every year. The Swedish National Melanoma Registry covers 98% of all invasive cutaneous melanoma since 1990 and together with a regular update through the Death Registry a population based risk model has been developed for significant prognostic factors.