Initial Staging Images for Melanoma Often Show Incidental Findings

Source: Dermatology Advisor, November 2019

Radiographic imaging during initial nodal and metastatic status staging for patients with cutaneous melanoma may provide significant insight into incidental findings that need to be addressed, and might change treatment protocol, according to study data published in a Letter to the Editor in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the rates, significance, and influencing factors of nonmelanoma-related, or incidental, findings on images procured during the initial staging of cutaneous melanoma. Imaging modalities included positron emission tomography scans, computed tomography scans, chest radiographs, or brain magnetic resonance imaging scans. Radiographic images were obtained from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics between January 2000 and December 2013.