Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026
A Melanoma Patient-Derived Xenograft Model
Published on: May 20, 2019
Outcome of patients with de novo versus nevus-associated melanoma
William M Lin1, Su Luo1, Alona Muzikansky2
1Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Background:
Prior reports indicate a wide range of melanomas in histopathologic contiguity with a nevus, and an associated nevus has unclear prognostic implications in melanoma.
Objective:
We sought to investigate the relationship among nevus-associated melanomas, sentinel lymph node status, and overall survival.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective analysis of 850 patients with cutaneous melanoma and sentinel lymph node removed at Massachusetts General Hospital from 1998 through 2008 and meta-analysis of the literature.
Results:
Nevus-associated melanomas represented 28% (235/850) of cases and were significantly correlated with younger age (P = .03), truncal site (P = .0005), superficial spreading type (P < .0001), and absent ulceration (P = .005). There was no association with sentinel lymph node status (P = .94) and no survival difference between nevus-associated versus de novo melanoma (P = .41). Meta-analysis of over 4000 cases revealed a similar percentage of associated nevi (32%).
Limitations:
This was a retrospective study.
Conclusions:
Approximately 30% of melanomas are associated with a nevus. The presence of a nevus associated with a melanoma has no prognostic implication in sentinel lymph node status or overall survival.
