Giant Melanocytic Nevi Portend More Aggressive Melanomas in Younger Patients
Source: Dermatology Advisor, July 2024
Melanomas that develop from giant pigmented nevi are diagnosed in younger patients more commonly than other melanomas; and while more these are more aggressive in patients younger than 10 years of age, they are mostly localized at the time of diagnosis, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Giant melanocytic nevi measuring 40 cm or greater are associated with an estimated 10% to 15% lifetime risk of developing melanomas. However, studies of melanomas arising from giant pigmented nevi are limited. To better understand this melanoma subtype, researchers from Boston, Massachusetts analyzed data on affected patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2020 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.
Among 1666 patients, 57% were men. However, among patients aged 20 to 40 years, more women were diagnosed with melanomas arising from giant pigmented nevi compared with men. The most commonly involved anatomic sites were the trunk (47.8%), the upper limbs and shoulders, and the head and neck (14.7%). Approximately 92.6% of cases were diagnosed in Non-Hispanic White patients.