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Every year many people die from melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer. Although being lethal, this cancer can be cured and its prognosis can be controlled with early diagnosis. The thickness of the tumour often referred to as Breslow's tumour thickness, is a crucial factor in determining the stage of this cancer.

My current project funded by Research Council of Norway focus on analysing the melanoma incidence and its trend over 35-years by clinicopathologic prognostic factors such as tumour thickness and clinical stage, and demographic prognostic factors such as sex and age. Further we are also exploring the long and short term survival and mortality due to melanoma by tumour thickness. The aim is to identify the factors affecting the melanoma incidence and survival. This can make a huge difference in guiding treatment plans through targeted screening, risk assessment and managing patients follow-up.

Tags: survival analysis, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, multivariate statistics, melanoma, skin cancer, cancer epidemiology

Pangrazio, Osvaldo; Forriol, Francisco; Pangrazio, Catalina; Rimal, Raju & Clarsen, Benjamin Matthew (2026). Injuries and illnesses in the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana men’s football tournaments 2022–2024. Science and medicine in football. ISSN 2473-3938. p. 1–8. doi: 10.1080/24733938.2026.2743077. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
We aimed to describe the incidence and patterns of match injuries and illnesses in two elite South American men’s football tournaments and explore associations with environmental and logistical factors. This prospective study included all Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana matches from 2022 to 2024 (930 matches; 30,690 player-hours). Match injuries and illnesses leading to direct substitution were recorded by match doctors. Incidence rates (IR) per 1,000 player-hours with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Poisson regression models examined associations between injury incidence and temperature, altitude, travel distance, and home vs. away status. A total of 359 injuries and 3 illnesses were reported (IR: 11.7 injuries per 1,000 h [95% CI: 10.5–13.0]). Muscle/tendon injuries were most frequent (58%; IR: 6.8 [95% CI: 5.9–7.9]), followed by ligament/joint injuries (23%; IR: 2.7 [95% CI: 2.2–3.4]) and concussions (9%; IR: 1.0 [95% CI: 0.7–1.5]). Hamstring strains accounted for 32% of all injuries (IR: 3.7 [95% CI: 3.1–4.5]). Injury incidence was similar across seasons and competitions. Muscle injury rates were lower at moderate and high altitudes, and overall injury rates were higher for home teams compared to away teams. No associations were found between temperature or travel distance and injury incidence rates. This is the largest epidemiological study of match injuries in elite South American football. Hamstring muscle injuries and concussions represented a higher relative proportion of injuries compared with European and Asian cohorts. Novel findings include potential protective effects of altitude and increased injury risk associated with home matches.
Ghimire, Rojina; Nepali, Amrit; Rimal, Raju; Rai, Jeevan; Ghimire, Prashant & Sapkota, Ramesh Prasad (2026). Habitat use of Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans) in agricultural landscapes of lowland Nepal. European Journal of Wildlife Research. ISSN 1612-4642. 72(5). doi: 10.1007/s10344-026-02154-z. Full text in Research Archive
Hestnes, Ingvild; Solberg, Lene Bergendal; Meyer, Haakon Eduard; Sundet, Mads; Rimal, Raju & Nordsletten, Lars [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). The hip fracture incidence in the high-risk area Oslo continues to decline. Osteoporosis International. ISSN 0937-941X. 35, p. 1615–1623. doi: 10.1007/s00198-024-07156-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Summary Oslo in Norway has had the highest incidence of hip fractures in the world. The incidence in Oslo has been thoroughly described every decade since the late 1970s. The incidence in Oslo has previously been higher compared to the rest of Norway but has now decreased to a level below the country average. Purpose The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of hip fractures in Oslo in 2019 and compare it with the incidence rates from the previous four decades. Methods Patients residing in Oslo in 2019 with a new hip fracture identified by searching the Oslo hospital’s patient administrative systems and protocols from the operating theaters. The diagnosis was verified through medical records and/or radiographs. To compare with previous studies, the direct standardization method was used with the population of Oslo in 2019 as the standard. Results A total of 758 hip fractures, 70% women, were identified in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rates per 10,000 person-years in 2019 (95% CI) were 45 (41.1–48.8) for women and 30 (25.8–33.8) for men. In women, there has been a continuous decline in age-standardized rates the last three decades and in men the last two decades. The most pronounced decline was seen in the oldest age groups over 70 years. There has been a secular decline in both cervical and trochanteric fractures; however, the decrease in trochanteric fractures was most distinct for males, with more than two times higher risk in 1996/1997 compared to 2019. Conclusion Incidence rates for hip fractures in Oslo in 2019 were the lowest rate reported since 1978. The decrease was significant for both men and women. For the first time, the incidence rates are below the national rates of Norway. However, the rates are still among the highest worldwide.
Rimal, Raju; Robsahm, Trude Eid; Green, Adele C.; Ghiasvand, Reza; Rueegg, Corina Silvia & Bassarova, Assia Vassileva [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2024). Trends in Invasive Melanoma Thickness in Norway, 1983-2019. Acta Dermato-Venereologica. ISSN 0001-5555. 104. doi: 10.2340/actadv.v104.26110. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Monitoring melanoma incidence time trends by tumour thickness is essential to understanding the evolution of melanoma occurrence and guiding prevention strategies. To assess long-term incidence trends, tumour thickness was extracted from pathology reports in the Cancer Registry of Norway (1983–2007) and the Norwegian Melanoma Registry (2008–2019), n = 45,635 patients. Across all anatomic sites, T1 (≤ 1 mm) incidence increased most (men annual percentage change [AAPC] = 4.6, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 4.2–5.0; women AAPC = 3.2, 95% CI 2.8–3.6); the increase was steep until 1989/90, followed by a plateau, and a further steep increase from 2004/05. Increased incidence was also observed for T2 (>1.0–2.0) melanoma (men AAPC = 2.8, 95% CI 2.4–3.2; women AAPC = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1–1.9), and T3 (>2.0–4.0) in men (AAPC = 1.4, 95% CI 0.9–1.9). T4 (>4.0) melanoma followed a similar overall pattern (men AAPC = 1.3, 95% CI 0.9–1.7, head/neck, upper limbs, and trunk; women AAPC = 0.9, 95% CI 0.4–1.4, upper limbs and trunk). Men had the highest T3 and T4 incidence and the sex difference increased with age. Regarding birth cohorts, age-specific incidence increased in all T categories in the oldest age groups, while stabilizing in younger patients born after 1950. Overall, the steep increase in T1 melanoma was not accompanied by a decrease in thick melanoma.
Ahimbisibwe, Ashley; Valberg, Morten; Green, Adele C.; Ghiasvand, Reza; Rüegg, Corina Silvia & Rimal, Raju [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Nevus Count, Pigmentary Characteristics, and Melanoma-specific Mortality among Norwegian Women with Melanoma >1.0 mm Thick. Acta Dermato-Venereologica. ISSN 0001-5555. 103. doi: 10.2340/actadv.v103.4403. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Little is known about if and how nevi and pigmentation are associated with melanoma-specific mortality. However, increased melanoma awareness in people with lighter pigmentation and many nevi may result in earlier diagnosis of thinner less-lethal tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between nevus count (asymmetrical > 5 mm and small symmetrical), pigmentary characteristics (hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, freckling, pigmentary score), and melanoma-specific mortality in subjects with melanomas > 1 mm. Data from the Norwegian Women and Cancer cohort, established in 1991, with complete follow-up of melanoma patients until 2018 through the Cancer Registry of Norway, were used to estimate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals for the associations between nevus count, pigmentary characteristics, and melanoma-specific mortality, stratified by tumor thickness using Cox regression. Estimated hazard ratios consistently indicated a higher risk of melanoma death for those with darker vs lighter pigmentary characteristics in patients with tumors > 1.0–2.0 mm and > 2.0 mm thick (e.g. pigmentary score hazard ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval (0.74–2.13)). Among women with melanomas >1.0 mm thick, lighter pigmentation and asymmetrical nevi may be associated with lower melanoma-specific mortality, suggesting that factors that increase the risk of melanoma may also be associated with decreased risk of death from melanoma.

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Perrier, Flavie; Rimal, Raju; Green, Adele C; Rueegg, Corina Silvia; Ghiasvand, Reza & Gjersvik, Petter [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2026). Breslow thickness and melanoma-specific death in patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous melanoma in 1983-2019. Full text in Research Archive
Veierød, Marit Bragelien & Rimal, Raju (2024). The incidence of thin melanoma is increasing the most. [Internet]. uio.no. Full text in Research Archive
Veierød, Marit Bragelien & Rimal, Raju (2024). Forekomsten av tynne melanomer øker mest. [Internet]. uio.no. Full text in Research Archive
Veierød, Marit Bragelien & Rimal, Raju (2024). Disse kreftflekkene øker mest. [Journal]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
Rimal, Raju; Robsahm, Trude Eid; Green, Adele C.; Ghiasvand, Reza; Rueegg, Corina Silvia & Bassarova, Assia Vassileva [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Melanoma survival by tumour thickness in Norway, 1983–2019. Full text in Research Archive

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Published Sep. 8, 2020 4:04 PM - Last modified Dec. 11, 2023 10:59 AM

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