Nevus-Associated Acral Melanoma Has Better Survival Outcomes Than De Novo
Source: Dermatology Advisor, January 2025
Nevus-associated acral melanoma (NAAM) demonstrates better recurrence-free survival and overall survival compared with de novo acral melanoma (DNAM), indicating a potentially more favorable prognosis for patients with NAAM, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Researchers conducted a multicenter retrospective study that involved patients in China diagnosed with acral melanomas between February 2011 and November 2022. They aimed to compare NAAM with DNAM, exploring differences in demographic characteristics, clinicopathological features, recurrence, and survival between these 2 groups. All patients included in the study had a definitive diagnosis of NAAM or DNAM based on pathological examination, clinical history, and physical examination. Additionally, all included patients underwent radical surgery.
Among the 482 patients included in the study, 34.0% had NAAM, and 66.0% had DNAM. The median age in the NAAM group was 65.0 years, and it was 64.0 years in the DNAM group. The median follow-up was 62.1 months. Distant metastasis rates were 32.9% for the NAAM group and 41.2% for the DNAM group, with bone metastases more frequent in the NAAM group (31.5%) compared with the DNAM group (14.5%). The NAAM group had higher rates of occurrence on the sole (78.0%) and lower rates of occurrence on the nail bed (11.6%) when compared with the DNAM group (67.6% and 20.1%, respectively).