State Cancer Profiles

Interpretation of Incidence Rates Data

Incidence Rate Report for Massachusetts by HSA

Melanoma of the Skin (All Stages^), 2018-2022

All Races (includes Hispanic), Both Sexes, All Ages

Sorted by Rate

Explanation of Column Headers
Incidence Rate (95% Confidence Interval) - The incidence rate is based upon 100,000 people and is an annual rate (or average annual rate) based on the time period indicated. Rates are age-adjusted by 5-year age groups to the 2000 U.S. standard million population.

Recent Trends - This is an interpretation of the AAPC/APC:

• Rising when 95% confidence interval of AAPC/APC is above 0.
• Stable when 95% confidence interval of AAPC/APC includes 0.
• Falling when 95% confidence interval of AAPC/APC is below 0.

AAPC/APC (95% Confidence Interval) - the change in rate over time

• Average Annual Percent Change - AAPCs are based upon APCs that were calculated by Joinpoint Regression Program
• Annual Percent Change - APCs calculated in SEER*Stat.

Other Notes

• Larger confidence intervals indicate less stability of the data. This is often due to low counts that are not quite low enough to be suppressed.
• Data is currently being suppressed if there are fewer than 16 counts for the time period.

Line by Line Interpretation of the Report

Massachusetts²

• Rate : The incidence rate is 15.6 with a 95% confidence interval from 15.2 to 16.0 and 1,359 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : N/A
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is -11.4 with a 95% confidence interval from -19.9 to -6.3.

US (SEER+NPCR)¹

• Rate : The incidence rate is 23.1 with a 95% confidence interval from 23.0 to 23.2 and 91,120 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : N/A
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is 0.2 with a 95% confidence interval from -1.1 to 1.2.

Worcester (Worcester), MA - Franklin, MA²

• Rate : The incidence rate is 18.6 with a 95% confidence interval from 17.4 to 19.8 and 213 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : 1 (1, 2)
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is -6.7 with a 95% confidence interval from -10.7 to -4.4.

Essex (Lynn), MA²

• Rate : The incidence rate is 16.3 with a 95% confidence interval from 15.2 to 17.4 and 169 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : 2 (2, 4)
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is -12.0 with a 95% confidence interval from -24.8 to -3.1.

Berkshire (Pittsfield), MA²

• Rate : The incidence rate is 16.2 with a 95% confidence interval from 13.5 to 19.3 and 31 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : 3 (1, 4)
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is -2.9 with a 95% confidence interval from -5.3 to -0.8.

Middlesex, MA - Suffolk (Boston), MA²

• Rate : The incidence rate is 16.1 with a 95% confidence interval from 15.6 to 16.6 and 773 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : 4 (2, 4)
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is -13.0 with a 95% confidence interval from -23.4 to -6.8.

Hampden (Springfield), MA - Hampshire, MA²

• Rate : The incidence rate is 11.3 with a 95% confidence interval from 10.3 to 12.5 and 89 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : 5 (5, 6)
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is -1.8 with a 95% confidence interval from -3.2 to -0.5.

Bristol (New Bedford), MA²

• Rate : The incidence rate is 10.8 with a 95% confidence interval from 9.7 to 11.9 and 80 average annual cases over 2018-2022.
• CI*Rank ⋔ : 6 (5, 6)
• Recent Trend : The trend is because the trend is -14.6 with a 95% confidence interval from -22.7 to -8.1.

Notes:
Created by statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov on 04/19/2026 11:40 pm.

State Cancer Registries may provide more current or more local data.

† Incidence rates (cases per 100,000 population per year) are age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population (SEER areas use 20 age groups and NPCR areas use 19 age groups). Rates are for invasive cancer only (except for bladder cancer which is invasive and in situ) or unless otherwise specified. Rates calculated using SEER*Stat. Population counts for denominators are based on Census populations as modified by NCI. The US Population Data File is used for SEER and NPCR incidence rates.

Rates and trends are computed using different standards for malignancy. For more information see malignant.html.

^ All Stages refers to any stage. Due to changes in stage coding, Combined Summary Stage with Expanded Regional Codes (2004+) is used for data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) databases and Merged Summary Stage is used for data from National Program of Cancer Registries databases. Due to the increased complexity with staging, other staging variables maybe used if necessary.

Source: SEER and NPCR data. For more specific information please see the table.

Health Service Areas are a single county or cluster of contiguous counties which are relatively self-contained with respect to hospital care. For more detailed information, please see the Health Service Area information page. Puerto Rico is being treated as a Health Service Area for this data presentation.

Data for United States does not include Puerto Rico.