Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Altitude Effect on Cutaneous Melanoma Epidemiology in the Veneto Region (Northern Italy): A Pilot Study

Paolo Del Fiore
* ORCID logo ,
Irene Russo
,
Alessandro Dal Monico
,
Jacopo Tartaglia
ORCID logo ,
Beatrice Ferrazzi
,
Marcodomenico Mazza
ORCID logo ,
Francesco Cavallin
ORCID logo ,
Saveria Tropea
,
Alessandra Buja
ORCID logo ,
Rocco Cappellesso
ORCID logo ,
Lorenzo Nicolè
,
Vanna Chiarion-Sileni
ORCID logo ,
Chiara Menin
ORCID logo ,
Antonella Vecchiato
,
Angelo Paolo Dei Tos
,
Mauro Alaibac
,
Simone Mocellin
Version 1 : Received: 13 April 2022 / Approved: 14 April 2022 / Online: 14 April 2022 (14:54:11 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Del Fiore, P.; Russo, I.; Dal Monico, A.; Tartaglia, J.; Ferrazzi, B.; Mazza, M.; Cavallin, F.; Tropea, S.; Buja, A.; Cappellesso, R.; Nicolè, L.; Chiarion-Sileni, V.; Menin, C.; Vecchiato, A.; Dei Tos, A.P.; Alaibac, M.; Mocellin, S. Altitude Effect on Cutaneous Melanoma Epidemiology in the Veneto Region (Northern Italy): A Pilot Study. Life 2022, 12, 745. Del Fiore, P.; Russo, I.; Dal Monico, A.; Tartaglia, J.; Ferrazzi, B.; Mazza, M.; Cavallin, F.; Tropea, S.; Buja, A.; Cappellesso, R.; Nicolè, L.; Chiarion-Sileni, V.; Menin, C.; Vecchiato, A.; Dei Tos, A.P.; Alaibac, M.; Mocellin, S. Altitude Effect on Cutaneous Melanoma Epidemiology in the Veneto Region (Northern Italy): A Pilot Study. Life 2022, 12, 745.

Abstract

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma has been increasing in the last decades among fair-skinned population. Despite etiology is complex and multifactorial, the exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the most consistent modifiable risk factor associated with melanoma. Several factors influence the amount of UVR reaching Eart’s surface. The aim of our study is to explore the association between melanoma and altitude in an area characterized by a mixed geographic morphology, such as in the Veneto region. For this purpose, 2752 melanoma patients, who referred to our attention between 1998 and 2014, were included in this study. For each patient we extracted demographic, histological and clinical-survival data. Head/neck and acral melanoma were more common in patients from the hills and the mountains, while the prevalence of limb and trunk melanoma was higher in patients living in plain and coastal areas. With increase of altitude, the Breslow thickness, ulceration and mitotic rate get worse but no significant difference was observed in overall and 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.

Keywords

cutaneous melanoma; altitude; coast-plain-hill gradient

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Oncology and Oncogenics

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.