Patients present with later stage melanoma during COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Healio, May 2022

Many melanoma patients presented with more advanced disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a small study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis on melanoma staging in 246 patients evaluated at one care center between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020, and Jan. 12, 2021. These patients were compared with 246 patients evaluated between March 1, 2019, and March 10, 2020.

Of those in the pre-pandemic group, 209 (85%) presented with early-stage disease, while 37 (15%) presented with metastatic disease. In the post-pandemic group, 200 (81.3%) had early-stage disease at presentation, while 46 (18.7%) had metastatic disease.

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