EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HEALTH CAMPAIGN FOR THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF CUTANEOUS MELANOMA IN TRENTINO, ITALY

BACKGROUND. To reduce the mortality rate from cutaneous melanoma in Trentino, a health campaign for early diagnosis aimed at the general public was organized. OBJECTIVE. The mortality rate from cutaneous melanoma in Trentino before and after our health campaign was analyzed and compared with the mortality rates in three neighboring regions where no campaigns were carried out. METHODS. The mortality for cutaneous melanoma was analyzed using data from the death certificates provided by ISTAT for the pre- and postcampaign periods. The two summary methods: cumulative rate and the standard mortality ratio were used. RESULTs. The cumulative mortality rates in the neighboring regions show a tendency to increase over the three periods whereas the increase in Trentino is less evident. The standard mortality ratios confirmed this result. CONCLUSION. We feel that this type of campaign is to be recommended in the reduction of mortality from cutaneous melanoma.