Melanoma in the elderly patient.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatology
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Cutaneous melanoma incidence is rising, with increasing rates across all age groups.
• The prognostic value of age in melanoma patients remains a subject of investigation.
• Older adults represent a growing demographic affected by melanoma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prognostic significance of age in older patients with intermediate-thickness melanoma.
• To identify key prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in this population.
• To determine if age alone predicts outcomes in elderly melanoma patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 213 patients aged 65 years and older with intermediate-thickness melanoma (1-4 mm).
• Analysis of prognostic factors including lymph node status, sex, age groups, tumor location, ulceration, histological type, and mitotic rate.
• Multivariate and univariate analyses were used to assess DFS and OS.

Main Results:

• Lymph node status was the most significant predictor for both DFS and OS (P<.001).
• Men had significantly shorter DFS and OS compared to women (P=.01).
• Stratification into age groups (65-70, 71-80, >80 years) showed no significant impact on DFS or OS (P=.95 and P=.92, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Lymph node status is the primary prognostic factor in older adults with intermediate-thickness melanoma.
• Age alone is not a significant prognostic factor for clinical management in this patient cohort.
• Identifying high-risk factors is crucial for stratifying older patients for aggressive or adjuvant therapies.