Cutaneous melanoma incidence varies consistently across body sites between men and women, but the underlying causes of the differences remain unclear. This study concludes that genetic factors other than those related to pigmentation and naevus phenotypes may play a role in the predilection for melanoma to arise on different sites between the sexes.
The purpose of this recent study was to to estimate the magnitude and cost of overdiagnosed melanoma in situ and thin invasive melanomas in Australia. The study concludes that melanoma overdiagnosis is a growing clinical and public health problem in Australia, and that limiting melanoma overdiagnosis may prevent unnecessary healthcare resource use.
This study aimed to compare 3 digital interventions designed to modify UVR exposure, sun protection, and skin cancer detection behaviours among young adults at moderate to high risk of skin cancer. The study concludes that the active interventions were effective in improving several skin cancer risk and skin cancer prevention behaviors.
According to this recent study, online melanoma messages aimed at increasing both melanoma knowledge and skin-check confidence may be most effective in improving the accuracy of skin self-examinations and intentions to do them
According to this recent study, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is increasing in incidence and may increase further given the ageing population of many countries. The prognosis of MCC is poor, particularly for male patients, those who are immunosuppressed, and patients diagnosed at higher stages or at an older age.
According to this recent Australian survey, most Australian dermatologists do not routinely examine breasts, oral mucosal, or anogenital sites as part of a full-body skin examination (FSE). The study concludes that emphasis should be made on identifying individual patient risk factors and education regarding self-examination of sensitive sites. A consensus approach to the conduct of the FSE, including concealed sites, is needed to better delineate clinician responsibilities and address medicolegal implications.
In this phase 2 NeoTrio trial, authors investigated whether targeted therapy could boost the proportion of patients achieving long-term recurrence-free survival with neoadjuvant immunotherapy in resectable stage III BRAFV600-mutant melanoma. The study concludes that pending longer follow-up, immunotherapy and targeted therapy should not be combined in the neoadjuvant setting for melanoma.
According to results of this trial, after nearly 10 years of follow-up, adjuvant therapy with dabrafenib plus trametinib was associated with better relapse-free survival and distant metastasis–free survival than placebo among patients with resected stage III melanoma.
Authors of this recent study compared melanoma incidence trends by age, sex, and anatomic site by analyzing long-term melanoma data (1982-2018) in three populations residing at high-, moderate- and low- ambient sun exposure. Results of the study suggest etiologic heterogeneity.
Several studies have suggested that many melanomas metastasize long before the primary lesion is diagnosed. Therefore, waiting for dissemination of metastatic disease to become evident before making systemic therapy available to these patients may be less effective than giving them post-operative adjuvant therapy initially if the metastatic risk is high. The study concludes that further studies are required to better identify high-risk patients whose primary melanoma is likely to have already metastasized.