Longitudinal study of prognostic factors for localized cutaneous melanoma in patients who have been disease-free for five years

• Published in: EJD. European journal of dermatology Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 192 - 198
• Main Authors: Bancalari, Bernardo, Ferrer-Guillen, Sonia, Tejera-Vaquerizo, Antonio, Requena, Celia, García-Casado, Zaida, Traves, Víctor, Kumar, Rajiv, Nagore, Eduardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris John Libbey Eurotext 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Clinical Report; Dermatology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; follow-up; melanoma; growth rate; prognosis; survival
• ISSN: 1167-1122; 1952-4013
• DOI: 10.1684/ejd.2021.4022

Background Most relapses in melanoma patients occur during the first five years after diagnosis. Identifying characteristics associated with recurrence after this period could help delineate guidelines, specifically for follow-up protocols. Objectives The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic factors for relapse and death caused by melanoma in patients who have been disease-free for five years. Materials & Methods We designed a longitudinal retrospective cohort to study Stage I/II cutaneous melanoma patients who have been free of disease for more than five years (late relapse cohort). Prognostic factors for disease-free and melanoma-specific survival were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression models. Results A series of 746 patients who had Stage I-II cutaneous melanoma and were free of disease for five years was selected. After a median follow-up of 64 months (124 months since melanoma diagnosis), 51 (6.8%) patients relapsed and 18 (2.4%) died from melanoma. Acral location and presence of ulceration, as well as intermediate growth rate (0.11–0.50 mm/month), were significantly associated with relapse or death due to melanoma. The initial recurrence site was associated with distant metastasis in 48% of the cases. Conclusion In this study, we have identified melanoma characteristics in patients who have been disease-free for five years that may allow us to establish groups at increased risk of relapse or death due to melanoma, which could be helpful for melanoma management.