Altitude effect on cutaneous melanoma epidemiology in the Veneto Region (Northern Italy): a pilot study.

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma has been increasing in the last decades among fair-skinned population. Despite complex and multifactorial etiology, the exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the most consistent modifiable risk factor for melanoma. Several factors influence the amount of UVR reaching Earth’s surface. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between melanoma and altitude in an area with mixed geographic morphology, such as the Veneto region (Italy). We included 2,752 melanoma patients who were referred to our centers between 1998 and 2014. Demographics, histological and clinical data, and survival information were extracted from a prospectively maintained local database. Head/neck and acral melanoma were more common in patients from the hills and the mountains, while limb and trunk melanoma were more common in patients living in plain and coastal areas. Breslow thickness, ulceration and mitotic rate impaired with increased altitude. However, geographical area of origin was not associated with overall or disease-free survival. Geographical area of origin of melanoma patients and the “coast-plain-hill gradient” could help to estimate the influence of different sun exposure and to explain the importance of vitamin D level in skin-cancer control .