Survival in 31 670 patients with thin melanomas: a Swedish population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) continues to increase in most countries worldwide and the majority are diagnosed with thin tumours (≤ 1 mm). OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate the melanoma-specific survival (MSS) as well as conditional MSS (CMSS) in patients with thin CMM in Sweden. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical and histological parameters were obtained from the Swedish Melanoma Registry for patients diagnosed with thin CMM between 1990 and 2017. Patients were followed until the end of 2017. MSS as well as CMSS for different thickness groups were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analyses were used to calculate for survival differences between thickness groups. RESULTS: There were 31 670 patients included for final analyses. The overall 10- and 20-year MSS for thin CMMs was 97% [95% confidence interval (CI) 97-97] and 95% (95% CI 95-96), respectively. From 0·7 mm and above, MSS decreased significantly with increasing thickness level. All thickness groups had an increased survival over time. The lowest CMSS was confirmed for men with 1·0 mm in thickness but their 10-year CMSS increased steadily over time. Women had overall better MSS as well as CMSS than men. However, the relation between MSS and CMSS was similar for both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: MSS was confirmed as excellent for patients with thin CMMs in Sweden. Although we could show a decreased MSS for patients with 0·7 mm thickness and above, the long-term survival and, in addition, a very favourable CMSS for those patients do not support more extended follow-up programmes than the current recommendations in Sweden.

Prognostic risk factors of first recurrence in patients with primary stages I-II cutaneous malignant melanoma - from the population-based Swedish melanoma register.

BACKGROUND: Prognostic factors in patients with localized primary cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) are well described. However, prognostic factors for recurrence are less documented. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify prognostic risk factors for first recurrence in patients with localized stages I-II CMM using population-based data. METHODS: This study included 1437 CMM patients registered in one region of Sweden during 1999-2012 follow-up through 31 December 2012. To identify first recurrence of CMM disease, data from a care data warehouse, the pathology and radiology department registries were used. Patients were also followed through a census register and the national Cause of Death Register. RESULTS: The 5- and 10-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) were 85.7% and 81.2%, respectively. The most common site of first recurrence was regional lymph node metastasis closely followed by distant metastasis. After adjusting for all prognostic factors, women had 50% lower risk of recurrence than men (HR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.4-0.7) and patients ≥70 had higher risk compared to patients 55-69 years (HR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.5). Other significant prognostic factors for risk of recurrence were tumour thickness, presence of ulceration, Clark's level of invasion and histogenetic type. CONCLUSION: Tumour thickness was found to be the predominant risk factor for recurrence. The prognostic factors for recurrence coincided with prognostic factors for CMM death. The most common site of first recurrence in stages I-II CMM is regional lymph node (42.8%) closely followed by distant metastases (37.6%), a fact which has to be taken into consideration when choosing follow-up strategies.

Prognostic instrument for survival outcome in melanoma patients: based on data from the population-based Swedish Melanoma Register.

BACKGROUND: Several major analyses have identified a consistent set of independent risk factors for cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). A few prognostic models have been presented but some are based on a limited number of patients and others are based on selected groups of patients referred to major institutions. No nationwide population-based prognostic instrument for survival of CMM has been presented. The Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) database covers 99% of CMM diagnosed in Sweden and includes today >50,000 cases. OBJECTIVES: To create a prognostic instrument based on SMR data to give highly reliable risk profiles for patients diagnosed with localised CMM. METHODS: Clinicopathological data were linked to the cause of death registry for calculation of CMM-specific survival. A generalised gamma method was used to derive 1, 5 and 10year probabilities of death for each combination of patient and tumour data: age, sex, tumour site, tumour thickness, tumour ulceration, Clark's level of invasion and when applicable also outcome of sentinel node biopsy (SNB). RESULTS: Tumour thickness had the highest prognostic impact, explaining 77% of the model. Women had 30% lower risk of death because of CMM than men. Presence of ulceration nearly doubled the risk. If the patient had a positive SNB status the risk of death due to CMM increased three times versus a negative SNB status. CONCLUSION: This unique population-based prognostic model for primary CMM shows better survival than the American Joint Commission on Cancer prognostic model widely used. The reason is probably that the referral bias is eliminated in a population-based cohort.

Stage-specific direct health care costs in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Clinical stage at diagnosis is a strong prognostic factor for death in cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), with worse prognosis at higher stages. However, few studies have investigated how direct health care cost per patient varies with clinical stage. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the stage-specific direct health care costs for CMM patients compared to the health care costs in the general population in the County of Östergötland, Sweden. METHODS: Cutaneous malignant melanoma patients in the County of Östergötland diagnosed 2005-2012 were identified from the Swedish cancer registry. Information on clinical stage was collected from the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and cost data from the Cost per Patient database (CPP) for 1075 CMM patients in Östergötland. CPP contains costs associated with all health care contacts per patient including inpatient, outpatient and primary care. The CMM-related costs were defined as the difference in mean health care costs between CMM patients and general population. RESULTS: The first year after CMM diagnosis, the average health care costs for CMM patients were 2.8 times higher than in the general population. The health care cost ratio varied from 2.0 (stage I) to 10.1 (stage IV) and the CMM-related costs per patient-year varied from €2 670 (stage I) to €29 291 (stage IV). The mean health care costs decreased over time but remained significantly higher than in the general population for all clinical stages. During the first year after diagnosis, patients in clinical stage III-IV (7% of CMM patients) accounted for 27% of the total CMM-related health care costs. CONCLUSIONS: The direct health care costs for CMM patients were significantly higher than in the general population independent of clinical stage. CMM patients diagnosed in clinical stage III-IV were associated with particularly high costs and the health care system may save resources by finding CMM patients in earlier stages.

Trends in cutaneous malignant melanoma in Sweden 1997-2011: thinner tumours and improved survival among men.

BACKGROUND: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most Western countries, although the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of the last millennium. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed during 1997-2011. METHODS: This nationwide population-based study included 30,590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM during 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause of Death Register. RESULTS: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site and healthcare region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P < 0·001) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed during 2007-2011 compared with men diagnosed during 1997-2001 (hazard ratio = 0·81; 95% confidence interval 0·72-0·91; P < 0·001), while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared with those diagnosed earlier (during 1997-2001) and later (during 2007-2011). CONCLUSIONS: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.

Low level of education is associated with later stage at diagnosis and reduced survival in cutaneous malignant melanoma: a nationwide population-based study in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: A worse outcome has been reported for cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) patients with low socioeconomic status. We have investigated the association between level of education, clinical stage at diagnosis (stage at diagnosis) and CMM-specific survival in Sweden. METHODS: We identified 27,235 patients from the Swedish Melanoma Register diagnosed with a primary invasive CMM between 1990 and 2007 and linked data to nationwide, population-based, health and census registers with a follow-up to 2010. RESULTS: The odds ratio (OR) of higher disease stage at diagnosis was significantly increased in lower education groups (OR stage II versus I=1.6; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.5-1.7. OR stage III-IV versus I=2.3; 95% CI=1.8-2.9). The risk of dying of CMM, was significantly increased in patients with low (hazard ratio (HR) low versus high=2.02; 95% CI=1.80-2.26; p<0.0001) and intermediate (HR intermediate versus high=1.35; 95% CI=1.20-1.51; p<0.0001) level of education. After adjustment for age, gender, stage at diagnosis and other known prognostic factors, the HRs remained significant for low versus high (HR=1.13; 95% CI=1.01-1.27; p=0.04) but not for intermediate versus high (HR=1.11; 95% CI=0.99-1.24; p=0.08) education. The HR associated with low level of education was significantly higher among female patients, patients <55 years, patients with truncal tumours and during the first 5 years after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Lower level of education is associated with reduced CMM-specific survival, which may at least partially be attributed to a more advanced stage at diagnosis. These results emphasise the need for improved early detection strategies.

Prognostic subclassifications of T1 cutaneous melanomas based on ulceration, tumour thickness and Clark's level of invasion: results of a population-based study from the Swedish Melanoma Register.

BACKGROUND: Survival and prognostic factors for thin melanomas have been studied relatively little in population-based settings. This patient group accounts for the majority of melanomas diagnosed in western countries today, and better prognostic information is needed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to use established prognostic factors such as ulceration, tumour thickness and Clark's level of invasion for risk stratification of T1 cutaneous melanoma. METHODS: From 1990 to 2008, the Swedish Melanoma Register included 97% of all melanomas diagnosed in Sweden. Altogether, 13,026 patients with T1 melanomas in clinical stage I were used for estimating melanoma-specific 10- and 15-year mortality rates. The Cox regression model was used for further survival analysis on 11,165 patients with complete data. RESULTS: Ulceration, tumour thickness and Clark's level of invasion all showed significant, independent, long-term prognostic information. By combining these factors the patients could be subdivided into three risk groups: a low-risk group (67·9% of T1 cases) with a 10-year melanoma-specific mortality rate of 1·5% (1·2-1·9%); an intermediate-risk group (28·6% of T1 cases) with a 10-year mortality rate of 6·1% (5·0-7·3%); and a high-risk group (3·5% of T1 cases) with a 10-year mortality rate of 15·6% (11·2-21·4%). The high- and intermediate-risk groups accounted for 66% of melanoma deaths within T1. CONCLUSIONS: Using a population-based melanoma register, and combining ulceration, tumour thickness and Clark's level of invasion, three distinct prognostic subgroups were identified.

A prospective evaluation of patients' health-related quality of life during auto-SCT: a 3-year follow-up.

Few studies have evaluated long-term health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients during auto-SCT. This prospective study examined HRQL in 96 eligible patients before, during and up to 3 years after auto-SCT. The aim of the study was to make a comprehensive assessment of the frequency and severity of different symptoms in patients undergoing auto-SCT. The European Organization for Treatment and Research of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ C-30) was administered 13 times. The second week during treatment was the period when patients had the lowest HRQL regarding both total quality of life and function and symptom scales. The patients recovered quickly and just two months after transplantation the baseline values were restored. Three years after transplantation most of the items in the questionnaire had stabilized, except role function and dyspnea, which had improved. There were significant differences between multiple myeloma (MM) and lymphoma patients' physical function, quality of life, fatigue and pain during week 2. At the 3-year follow-up, lymphoma patients indicated a better HRQL than MM patients. The quick recovery of patients after transplantation suggests that treatment is well tolerated; however, the supportive care could be improved at week 2, especially for the lymphoma patients.