Question

The table shows the rate of melanoma by gender. mc026-1.jpg Consider the number of males who were diagnosed with melanoma in 2005. What quantity does this number represent?

Answer 1

The right answer is In 2005, 27.99 males out of every 100,000 were diagnosed with melanoma.

This number represents the incidence of melanoma (Skin cancer).

In epidemiology, incidence refers to the number of new cases of illness that have occurred during a given period of time. An increase in the incidence makes it possible for example to note an epidemic, even a pandemic. This data should not be confused with the prevalence, which refers to the number of people sick at a given time, or the incidence rate, which allows a better comparison of populations, by dividing the incidence by a representative sample of population (for example the number of cases per 100,000 people). The unit used to express the incidence is the number of new cases per person-time (example: 75 person-years).

Answer 2

In 2005, 27.99 males out of every 100,000 were diagnosed with melanoma.