Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgments and disclosures
Acknowledgments: this study was supported partially by grant 2017-109-001 from the Universidad Católica de València. Conflicts of interest: none.
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Bancalari, B., Ferrer-Guillen, S., Tejera-Vaquerizo, A. et al. Longitudinal study of prognostic factors for localized cutaneous melanoma in patients who have been disease-free for five years. Eur J Dermatol 31, 192–198 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1684/ejd.2021.4022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1684/ejd.2021.4022