Prognostic factors in primary gastrointestinal melanoma patients with organ metastases: A population-based study

Primary gastrointestinal melanoma (PGIM) is an exceedingly rare tumor with aggressive potential. We aimed to evaluate the patterns of metastasis and the prognosis in patients with PGIM harboring organ metastases, which may help clinicians better understand this rare disease. Data from patients with PGIM harboring organ metastases were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database between 2010 and 2021. The Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test was used to compare survival curves among patients with different metastatic patterns. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were employed to evaluate the independent prognostic factors. A total of 120 eligible patients were included in this study. The most common organ metastatic site was the liver (70.8%), followed by the lung (59.2%), bone (15.8%), and brain (11.7%). The predictors independently associated with overall survival were as follows: age, primary site, and surgery. Interestingly, the number of metastatic sites was not an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. These findings may assist clinicians in developing a more thorough understanding of this rare disease and formulating individualized management strategies.