Factors Affecting Recurrence and Survival for Patients with High-Risk Stage II Melanoma

In the current era of effective adjuvant therapies and de-escalation of surgery, distinguishing which patients with high-risk stage II melanoma are at increased risk of recurrence after excision of the primary lesion is essential to determining appropriate treatment and surveillance plans.

A single-center retrospective study analyzed patients with stage IIB or IIC melanoma. Demographic and tumor data were collected, and genomic analysis of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples was performed via an internal next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform (SNaPshot). The end points examined were relapse-free survival (RFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS), and melanoma-specific survival (MSS). Uni- and multivariable Cox regressions were performed to calculate the hazard ratios.

The study included 92 patients with a median age of 69 years and a male/female ratio of 2:1. A Breslow depth greater than 4 mm, a higher mitotic rate, an advanced T stage, and a KIT mutation had a negative impact on RFS. A primary lesion in the head and neck, a mitotic rate exceeding 10 mitoses per mm², a CDH1 mutation, or a KIT mutation was significantly associated with a shorter DMFS. Overall survival was significantly lower with older age at diagnosis and a higher mitotic rate. An older age at diagnosis also had a negative impact on MSS.

Traditional histopathologic factors and specific tumor mutations displayed a significant correlation with disease recurrence and survival for patients with high-risk stage II melanoma. This study supported the use of genomic testing of high-risk stage II melanomas for prognostic prediction and risk stratification.