Epidemiological analysis of cutaneous melanoma in a private clinic in Jalisco, Mexico

Background: Cutaneous melanoma, the most aggressive malignant skin neoplasm, is currently on the rise globally. Objective: To describe demographic and clinicopathological characteristics related to the melanoma detection method and compare the results with national and international studies. Material and methods: We analyzed medical records of patients who attended consultation between 2009 and 2022 in a bicentric private clinic in Jalisco. Patients were categorized based on the melanoma detection method. Results: Among 165 eligible patients, the mean age was 71 years, with 52% being men, 125 patients were of foreign origin. Dermatologist evaluation diagnosed 86 patients. The most frequent histological variant was superficial extension (51%), followed by lentigo maligna (38%) and lentiginous acral melanoma (3%), with an average Breslow thickness of 0.66 mm. Conclusions: Epidemiological studies on melanoma in Latin America are limited. Our findings deviate from most national series, possibly due to the private setting and ethnic diversity. We raised the possibility of bias in previously representative national data, likely caused by underreporting of melanoma cases in private healthcare. This emphasizes the need for robust national epidemiological surveillance mechanism.