Thicker Melanoma Tumor Size Tied to Higher Risk of 20-Year Melanoma-Related Death

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 13, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Dec. 13, 2024 -- Risk of 20-year melanoma-related death increases significantly for patients with primary tumors of 0.8 to 1.0 mm in thickness, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in JAMA Dermatology.

Serigne N. Lo, Ph.D., from the University of Sydney, and colleagues assessed the relative effect of a 0.8-mm Breslow thickness threshold with respect to the incidence of both melanoma-related and nonmelanoma-related death. Analysis included registry data for 144,447 individuals diagnosed with thin invasive primary melanomas between 1982 and 2014.

The researchers found that crude incidence rates of melanoma-related death 20 years after diagnosis were 6.3 percent for the whole cohort, 6.0 percent for tumors <0.8 mm, and 12.0 percent for tumors 0.8 to 1.0 mm. The corresponding 20-year melanoma-specific survival rates were 91.9 percent overall and 94.2 and 87.8 percent, respectively, across tumor sizes. Tumor thickness of 0.8 to 1.0 mm was significantly associated with both a greater absolute risk of melanoma-related death (subdistribution hazard ratio, 2.92), as well as a greater rate of melanoma-related death (hazard ratio, 2.98), compared to thinner tumors (<0.8 mm). There was no association seen between risk of death from nonmelanoma-related causes and Breslow thickness.

"The findings of this large-scale population-based analysis suggest the separation of risk for patients with melanomas with a Breslow thickness above and below 0.8 mm," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Posted December 2024

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