Cutaneous Melanoma in the Elderly: Review of a Growing Problem

• Published in: Actas dermo-sifiliográficas (English ed.) Vol. 110; no. 6; pp. 434 - 447
• Main Authors: Iglesias-Pena, N., Paradela, S., Tejera-Vaquerizo, A., Boada, A., Fonseca, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Spain Elsevier España, S.L.U 01.07.2019
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anciano; Cirugía; Combined Modality Therapy; Comorbidity; Delayed Diagnosis; Elderly; Female; Ganglio centinela; Health services for the aged; Humans; Immunocompetence; Immunotherapy; Incidence; Lymph Node Excision; Male; Melanoma; Melanoma - epidemiology; Melanoma - etiology; Melanoma - prevention & control; Melanoma - therapy; Melanoma, Cutaneous Malignant; Population Dynamics; Prognosis; Pronóstico; Review; Revisión; SEER Program; Sentinel lymph node; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; Servicio de salud para el anciano; Skin Neoplasms - epidemiology; Skin Neoplasms - etiology; Skin Neoplasms - prevention & control; Skin Neoplasms - therapy; Spain - epidemiology; Surgery; United States - epidemiology; United States; Spain; Anciano; Prognosis; Sentinel lymph node; Ganglio centinela; Melanoma; Servicio de salud para el anciano; Review; Pronóstico; Surgery; Revisión; Cirugía; Elderly; Health services for the aged
• ISSN: 1578-2190; 1578-2190
• DOI: 10.1016/j.adengl.2019.05.012

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) causes more deaths than any other skin tumor, and incidence and mortality rates have risen in recent years, especially in patients of advanced age. There are differences in the biological behavior of CM tumors in the elderly as well as differential management of the disease, evidently influenced by such factors as limited life expectancy, the high incidence of concomitant conditions in older patients, and issues of quality of life unrelated to CM itself. We review relevant current literature on the epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis, and immunology of CM as well as research on the clinical features, prevention, and management of these tumors in the elderly. El melanoma cutáneo (MC) es el tumor cutáneo que más muertes provoca, con un aumento importante de la incidencia y la mortalidad en las últimas décadas, especialmente en el paciente anciano. Existen evidencias del diferente comportamiento biológico, así como de las diferencias en el manejo del MC en este subgrupo de pacientes con respecto al resto de otras franjas de edad, evidentemente condicionadas por unas limitadas expectativas de supervivencia y calidad de vida ajenas al melanoma y una elevada incidencia de comorbilidades. El presente artículo revisa los datos actuales más relevantes de la epidemiología, etiopatogenia e inmunología, clínica, prevención y manejo del MC en el anciano.