Prognostic value of ulceration varies across Breslow thicknesses and clinical stages in acral melanoma: A retrospective study
Source: MDLinx, January 2022
In acral melanoma (AM) cases, ulceration was identified to be an independent negative prognostic factor but the impact differed across Breslow thicknesses and clinical stages. A significant prognostic impact of ulceration in thin (?1 mm) melanoma cases was evident but no association was identified between ulceration and survival in intermediate/thick or stage III AM.
- In this multicenter retrospective study, a total of 1,053 patients diagnosed with AM (62.6% had ulceration) were included to examine the prognostic influence of ulceration in AM as well as the variability across different Breslow thicknesses and clinical stages.
- A median follow-up of 61 months revealed a lower median melanoma-specific survival (MSS) in patients with ulceration compared with those without [66.1 months vs not reached; hazard ratio (HR) =1.41].
- In cases with thin (?1 mm) melanoma, the survival curves of patients with vs without ulceration clearly separated over time.
- For melanomas of thickness >1 mm or with stage III disease, there existed no link between ulceration and MSS.