Title: 377 Global melanoma burden: An update from the global burden of disease 2016 study
Abstract: Understanding the global impact of melanoma is necessary to prioritize efforts in reducing its burden. The 2016 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study is a collaborative project of worldwide experts conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation . The GBD provides a transparent and reproducible method of comparing diseases, such as melanoma, through the use of a disability-adjusted life-year (DALY). A DALY, the equivalent of one year of healthy life lost, is the sum of years of life lived with disability(YLD) and years of life lost prematurely(YLL). Data for skin diseases were extracted from >10,000 sources, including systematic reviews, cohort studies, disease registries, surveys, and inpatient/outpatient hospital data from 195 countries and territories. In this 2016 update, 3457 data sources are included for malignant melanoma. YLD due to melanoma is estimated by splitting its total prevalence into four sequelae: (1) diagnosis and primary therapy (2) controlled phase (3) metastatic phase (4) terminal phase. YLLs were calculating by adding each death multiplied by the standard life expectancy at each age. Each metric examined in this study is stratified by age, sex, location, and time. The global melanoma disease burden in DALYs per 100,000 persons in descending order was: New Zealand (207), Australia (178), Norway (147), and Sweden (129). The USA ranked 29th in melanoma burden with 79 DALYs per 100,000 persons. Overall, melanoma disease burden is significant globally, with New Zealand, Australia, and Northern European countries having the greatest overall burden. The GBD study may help guide clinical, research, and public policy decisions to help guide more efforts towards melanoma prevention and treatment.