Melanoma incidence and COVID-19 lockdowns in the Netherlands

A previous study on nationwide cancer registration in the Netherlands concluded that reduced access to healthcare services during the 930-day long COVID-19 pandemic had a limited influence on melanoma presentation at diagnosis. However, similarly to most publications on the same subject, statistical analyses were restricted to changes in the proportions of melanoma stages at diagnosis and in mean melanoma thickness. We reanalysed the data using incidence rates (IRi). Our reappraisal highlights the way the number of cases of cancer observed during different periods are statistically analysed.