Melanoma in Childhood: Changing Our Mind-set

The incidence of melanoma is increasing in the United States in all segments of the population. Although cutaneous malignancies in childhood typically are perceived as uncommon, the incidence of melanoma in children in the United States increased by 2% annually from 1974 to 2004. Increases were 3.6-fold in children aged 10 to 14 years and 18-fold in those aged 15 to 19 years. Locations of particular concern are the face and trunk in males and the hips and lower extremities in females.