Overall survival differs between patients with single, multiple primary melanomas

Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were worse in patients with multiple primary melanomas (MPMs) compared with patients with single primary melanomas (SPMs), according to a study.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) content and expression of CXCL6/FOXJ1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with MPMs were also observed.

In this retrospective case-controlled study, 320 patients with MPMs and SPMs were included and matched at a 1:1 ratio for age, sex, and stage.

Patients with MPMs had worse RFS (P = 0.023) and OS (P = 0.0019). After adjusting for age, sex, and stage, having MPMs was associated with an increased risk of death and disease recurrence.

Researchers also noted a different degree of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) between the first melanoma of MPMs and SPMs.

Reference
Karapetyan L, Yang X, Knight AD, et al. Poorer survival outcomes in patients with multiple versus single primary melanoma. Cancer. 2022;doi: 10.1002/cncr.34169. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35319783.