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Desmoplastic Melanoma: Clinical Characteristics and Survival in the US Population

Maria T Huayllani1, Andrea Sisti1, David J Restrepo1

  • 1Plastic Surgery, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, USA.

Cureus
|August 22, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Desmoplastic melanoma (DM), a rare skin cancer, often presents at older ages and advanced stages. Despite these factors, five-year survival rates for DM are comparable to common malignant melanoma.

Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Oncology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Desmoplastic melanoma (DM) is a rare subtype of invasive cutaneous melanoma.
  • Limited data exists on US demographics, disease characteristics, and survival outcomes for DM.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively analyze US demographics, disease characteristics, and survival of DM patients.
  • To compare DM with common malignant melanoma (CMM) and raise disease awareness.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the National Cancer Database (2004-2015) for patient demographics and diagnosis.
  • Employed univariate and multivariate regression models for comparative analysis.
  • Estimated five-year overall survival (OS) using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models.

Main Results:

  • Identified 5,895 DM patients and 292,939 CMM patients.
  • DM cases showed a trend towards older age, advanced stage, and greater Breslow depth (>4 mm) at diagnosis.
  • Five-year OS for DM (75%) and CMM (76%) showed no statistical difference (P=.07).
  • Age at diagnosis and comorbidities independently predicted five-year OS in DM patients (P<.001).

Conclusions:

  • Older age, advanced stage, and increased Breslow depth are associated with DM.
  • Age and comorbidities are independent predictors of five-year OS in desmoplastic melanoma.
  • DM survival is comparable to CMM, despite distinct demographic and clinical features.
Keywords:
desmoplastic melanomamalignant melanomancdbtumor characteristics

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