The existence of the EUROCARE database now makes it possible to compare pop
ulation-based survival for childhood melanoma in different European populat
ions. The database contains verified information, including histological da
ta, from cancer registries in 17 European countries, and as such it represe
nts a particularly important source of survival information on a very rare
cancer like childhood melanoma. The aim of the present paper was to describ
e survival in children with melanoma (MM), by sex, age and subsite, diagnos
ed during the period 1978-1989, using analysis of the data, of the European
pool of cases. Five year-survival for childhood MM diagnosed in 1978-1989
in Europe, is relatively good (80%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 47-95 for
boys and 78%; 95% CI 58-91 for girls). Analysis by subsite, revealed the su
rvival for MM on the head and neck, legs and arms was generally higher than
survival for MM on other cutaneous sites (trunk, neck and scalp). Far skin
melanomas outcome for girls was better than boys, adjusting for age and su
b-site. We suggest that the good survival observed in childhood MM seems to
be related to early diagnosis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r
eserved.