Despite recent improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, vast differences in melanoma burden still exist between populations.,Comparative data can highlight these differences and lead to focused efforts to reduce the burden of melanoma.,To assess global, regional and national melanoma incidence, mortality and disability‐adjusted life year (DALY) estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.,Vital registration system and cancer registry data were used for melanoma mortality modelling.,Incidence and prevalence were estimated using separately modelled mortality‐to‐incidence ratios.,Total prevalence was divided into four disease phases and multiplied by disability weights to generate years lived with disability (YLDs).,Deaths in each age group were multiplied by the reference life expectancy to generate years of life lost (YLLs).,YLDs and YLLs were added to estimate DALYs.,The five world regions with the greatest melanoma incidence, DALY and mortality rates were Australasia, North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Central Europe.,With the exception of regions in sub‐Saharan Africa, DALY and mortality rates were greater in men than in women.,DALY rate by age was highest in those aged 75-79 years, 70-74 years and ≥ 80 years.,The greatest burden from melanoma falls on Australasian, North American, European, elderly and male populations, which is consistent with previous investigations.,These substantial disparities in melanoma burden worldwide highlight the need for aggressive prevention efforts.,The Global Burden of Disease Study results can help shape melanoma research and public policy.,What's already known about this topic?,Melanoma incidence and mortality has been assessed in the past for individual countries or world regions.,Melanoma incidence and mortality has been assessed in the past for individual countries or world regions.,What does this study add?,As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, melanoma burden was estimated at the global, regional and country level for incidence, mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability, years of life lost and disability‐adjusted life years.These estimates can be used to guide prevention and treatment strategies, as well as resource allocation.,As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, melanoma burden was estimated at the global, regional and country level for incidence, mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability, years of life lost and disability‐adjusted life years.,These estimates can be used to guide prevention and treatment strategies, as well as resource allocation.,Respond to this article,Plain language summary available online
Up to 50% of patients with uveal melanoma develop metastatic disease with poor prognosis.,Regional, mainly liver-directed, therapies may induce limited tumor responses but do not improve overall survival.,Response rates of metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM) to systemic chemotherapy are poor.,Insights into the molecular biology of MUM recently led to investigation of new drugs.,In this study, to compare response rates of systemic treatment for MUM we searched Pubmed/Web of Knowledge databases and ASCO website (1980-2013) for “metastatic/uveal/melanoma” and “melanoma/eye.”,Forty studies (one case series, three phase I, five pilot, 22 nonrandomized, and two randomized phase II, one randomized phase III study, data of three expanded access programs, three retrospective studies) with 841 evaluable patients were included in the numeric outcome analysis.,Complete or partial remissions were observed in 39/841 patients (overall response rate [ORR] 4.6%; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 3.3-6.3%), no responses were observed in 22/40 studies.,Progression-free survival ranged from 1.8 to 7.2, median overall survival from 5.2 to 19.0 months as reported in 21/40 and 26/40 studies, respectively.,Best responses were seen for chemoimmunotherapy (ORR 10.3%; 95% CI 4.8-18.7%) though mainly in first-line patients.,Immunotherapy with ipilimumab, antiangiogenetic approaches, and kinase inhibitors have not yet proven to be superior to chemotherapy.,MEK inhibitors are currently investigated in a phase II trial with promising preliminary data.,Despite new insights into genetic and molecular background of MUM, satisfying systemic treatment approaches are currently lacking.,Study results of innovative treatment strategies are urgently awaited.,Forty clinical studies on metastatic uveal melanoma were reviewed regarding responses to systemic treatments.,New insights into genetic and molecular background led to investigation of new substances but promising in vitro data have not yet been translated into satisfying treatment responses; however, preliminary results of ongoing studies are highly encouraging.