Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Thin melanomas: predictive lethal characteristics from a 30-year clinical experience.

Matthew F Kalady1, Rebekah R White, Jeffrey L Johnson

  • 1Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. seig1001@mc.duke.edu

Annals of Surgery
|October 8, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Thin melanomas can be lethal, with nearly 20% of older males with tumors 0.75-1.0 mm thick developing advanced disease. Close follow-up is crucial for early detection and treatment of melanoma recurrence.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Bringing cognitive behavioral therapy for nightmares to patients with trauma: increasing access and feasibility via primary and acute care.

Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine·2026
Same author

Empiric Antifungal Therapy Is Not Associated with Improved Infectious Outcomes in Penetrating Upper Gastrointestinal Injuries: A Subgroup Analysis of the Surgical Infection Society Multi-Center Observational Study.

Surgical infections·2026
Same author

Breslow Thickness and Microsatellite Detection in Primary Cutaneous Melanoma: Implications for Oncologic Surgeons and Patients.

The American surgeon·2026
Same author

Prevalence of Futility Protocols for Severely Bleeding Trauma Patients: A Survey from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB).

Journal of clinical medicine·2026
Same author

Rethinking trauma transport: Mortality and length of stay in non-EMS transported patients.

Injury·2026
Same author

Assessing the Gap: Surgical Infection Society Guidelines Versus Real-World Antibiotic Agent Use in Facial Fractures.

Surgical infections·2026

Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Oncology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Cutaneous melanoma, particularly thin lesions (<1 mm), can still lead to nodal or metastatic disease in a significant percentage of patients.
  • Over 30 years, an institution observed advanced disease in ~15% of patients with thin primary melanoma.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define the natural history of thin melanomas.
  • To identify negative prognostic characteristics for high-risk patients with thin melanomas.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 1158 patients with cutaneous melanoma (lesion thickness ≤1 mm).
  • Median follow-up of 11 years (range, 1-34 years).
  • Statistical analysis of patient and melanoma characteristics against outcomes.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • 15.3% of patients developed advanced disease (nodal or distant).
  • Male gender, age >45 years, and Breslow thickness >0.75 mm were significant negative prognostic factors.
  • Patients with these three factors had a 19.7% risk of advanced disease and doubled nodal recurrence incidence.

Conclusions:

  • Thin melanomas are potentially lethal, with a high-risk group identified (older males, 0.75-1.0 mm tumors).
  • Ulceration and Clark level were not predictive of metastasis in this cohort.
  • Close clinical evaluation and follow-up are recommended for accurate staging and timely therapeutic intervention.