Appearance of melanocytic nevi on the backs of young Australian children: a 7-year longitudinal study

Abstract

To determine the rate of appearance of nevi in a cohort of children between ages 6 and 12 years. The number of nevi has been established as the strongest known risk factor for melanoma, but whether the rate at which nevi appear during childhood varies by age is not well understood. The study involved analysis of nevus development over time in a cohort of 640 Western Australian school children who formed the control group in the Kidskin intervention trial. Children were assessed at ages 6, 10 and 12 years, with nevi on the back counted from photographs. The changes in both number and density of nevi between ages 6 and 12 years were linear with respect to age. The number and density of nevi in..