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Ulff E, Melin-Johansson C, Maroti M, Koinberg I. How Patient Involvement Can Contribute to the Development of Information Materials About Malignant Melanoma for Healthy Older Men. HOME HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/1084822315593075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The incidence for malignant melanoma (MM) in older men is 3 to 4 times higher than the rest of the population. Patient information about MM could be a way to reach men. The aim of the study was to design and develop a pamphlet in collaboration with older men. The study was conducted in two steps. In the first step, 73 men were interviewed; in the second step, the pamphlets were sent out to 306 men. All men were recruited in connection with an aorta screening. Men wanted concisely written information with illustrations and 85% of the men reported that they have read the pamphlet. The study demonstrates a cost-effective method to reach out with information to older men about MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ulff
- Ryhov County Hospital, Jönköping, Sweden
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Sanlorenzo M, Osella-Abate S, Ribero S, Marenco F, Nardò T, Fierro MT, Novelli M, Cervetti O, Bernengo MG, Quaglino P. Melanoma of the lower extremities: foot site is an independent risk factor for clinical outcome. Int J Dermatol 2015; 54:1023-9. [PMID: 25660506 DOI: 10.1111/ijd.12730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the better prognosis of melanomas localized on lower extremities, some studies have suggested that melanomas on the foot are related to a poorer survival and should be considered separately. OBJECTIVE To review our case series of cutaneous melanomas on the lower extremities and to analyze the clinicopathological association, time course, types of progression, and survival differences. METHODS We included 1671 patients (stage 0-II) with a cutaneous melanoma on the lower extremities (subungual melanomas were excluded). Of these, 327 were localized on the foot. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate disease-specific survival and disease-free interval. RESULTS Distribution of known prognostic factors and patterns of progression of foot and leg melanoma differ across genders. The foot site was confirmed as a negative independent prognostic factor on disease-specific survival and disease-free interval. CONCLUSION Foot melanoma could represent a particular subgroup, which could require specific management in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Sanlorenzo
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Simona Osella-Abate
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Simone Ribero
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Section of Dermatologic Surgery, Department of Oncology and Hematology, San Giovanni Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Marenco
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Tiziana Nardò
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Fierro
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Mauro Novelli
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Ornella Cervetti
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Bernengo
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Pietro Quaglino
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Yue Z, Wang A, Zhu Z, Tao L, Li Y, Zhou L, Chen W, Lu Y. Holothurian glycosaminoglycan inhibits metastasis via inhibition of P-selectin in B16F10 melanoma cells. Mol Cell Biochem 2015; 410:143-54. [PMID: 26318439 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-015-2546-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
P-selectin-mediated tumor cell adhesion to platelets is a well-established stage in the process of tumor metastasis. Through computerized structural analysis, we found a marine-derived polysaccharide, holothurian glycosaminoglycan (hGAG), behaved as a ligand-competitive inhibitor of P-selectin, indicating its potential to disrupt the binding of P-selectin to cell surface receptor and activation of downstream regulators of tumor cell migration. Our experimental data demonstrated that hGAG significantly inhibited P-selectin-mediated adhesion of tumor cells to platelets and tumor cell migration in vitro and reduced subsequent pulmonary metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, abrogation of the P-selectin-mediated adhesion of tumor cells led to down-regulation of protein levels of integrins, FAK and MMP-2/9 in B16F10 cells, which is a crucial molecular mechanism of hGAG to inhibit tumor metastasis. In conclusion, hGAG has emerged as a novel anti-cancer agent via blocking P-selectin-mediated malignant events of tumor metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Yue
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Aiyun Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China.,Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Center for Research and Development of Marine Drugs, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhijie Zhu
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Li Tao
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yao Li
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Liang Zhou
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenxing Chen
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China.,Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing, 210023, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Center for Research and Development of Marine Drugs, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yin Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China. .,Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing, 210023, China. .,Jiangsu Provincial Center for Research and Development of Marine Drugs, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China.
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Abstract
Differences across the sexes include epidemiological trends, distribution of clinical features and prognostic relevance in melanoma patients. The aims of this single-institution hospital-based cohort study were as follows: to assess the trends over time of the male/female ratio; to analyse the clinicopathologic features according to sex and their modifications following the introduction in 1999 of sentinel lymph node biopsy; to ascertain the metastatic pathways across sexes and the prognostic role of sex in the disease-free interval (DFI), disease-specific survival (DSS) and survival after recurrence. The patient population included 4310 stage I-II melanoma patients, diagnosed, treated and followed up in our institution from 1975. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the introduction of sentinel lymph node biopsy in 1999. A female prevalence was observed until 1999; thereafter, the male/female ratio approached 1 (period 1999-2003), with a subsequent increasing trend suggesting a potential male prevalence. Longer DFI and DSS were observed after 1999 and men showed greater improvement compared with women. In multivariate analyses, sex showed a lower impact on DFI and survival after recurrence following the introduction on sentinel lymph node biopsy. No sex-related differences in terms of DSS were observed before and after 1999 among patients with melanoma located on the trunk. However, among patients with primary lesions not located on the trunk, sex maintained a significant prognostic role in both groups. The results of this study suggest that in the last few years, the prognosis of men could have improved more than that in women. The changing surgical/therapeutic interventions can influence sex disparities in melanoma.
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Dronca RS, Dong H. A gender factor in shaping T-cell immunity to melanoma. Front Oncol 2015; 5:8. [PMID: 25699234 PMCID: PMC4313609 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Roxana S Dronca
- Division of Medical Oncology, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, MN , USA
| | - Haidong Dong
- Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, MN , USA ; Department of Immunology, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, MN , USA
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Tarhini A, Corman SL, Rao S, Margolin K, Ji X, Mehta S, Botteman MF. Healthcare Resource Utilization and Associated Costs in Patients with Advanced Melanoma Receiving First-Line Ipilimumab. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.4236/jct.2015.610091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Soares AS, Costa VM, Diniz C, Fresco P. The combination of Cl-IB-MECA with paclitaxel: a new anti-metastatic therapeutic strategy for melanoma. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2014; 74:847-60. [PMID: 25119183 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-014-2557-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 07/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Metastatic melanoma is considered one of the most aggressive malignant tumours, representing the deadliest form of skin cancer. Melanoma progression is associated with the abrogation of normal controls that limit cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, eventually leading to metastasis. Based on the variety of cellular mechanisms involved in metastatic progression, we aimed to evaluate the effect of inosine (50 μM) and of the combination of Cl-IB-MECA (10 μM) with paclitaxel (10 ng/mL) on several stages of melanoma progression. METHODS Proliferation, migration, adhesion, invasion, and colony formation assays were performed on human C32 and A375 metastatic melanoma cells. Levels of ERK1/2 were also determined using an ELISA kit. Moreover, mouse aortic rings were treated with vascular endothelial growth factor in order to assess the microvessel sprouting (an indicator of angiogenesis) in the presence of the referred compounds. RESULTS We demonstrate that inosine induced, through A3 adenosine receptor activation, proliferation, migration, adhesion, and invasion on C32 and A375 melanoma cells, although with dissimilar importance on the two melanoma cell lines. Inosine also increased colony formation on A375 cells. Levels of ERK1/2 were increased after inosine exposure and that increase was dependent on A3 adenosine receptor activation in both cell lines. Moreover, microvessel sprouting stimulated by inosine was decreased by the combination of Cl-IB-MECA with paclitaxel. CONCLUSIONS Cl-IB-MECA combined with paclitaxel was able to impair almost all of the referred metastatic related mechanisms induced by inosine, making this approach a valuable tool for combinatory therapy against metastatic melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana S Soares
- REQUIMTE/Laboratório de Farmacologia, Departamento de Ciências do Medicamento, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Soares AS, Costa VM, Diniz C, Fresco P. Combination of Cl‑IB‑MECA with paclitaxel is a highly effective cytotoxic therapy causing mTOR‑dependent autophagy and mitotic catastrophe on human melanoma cells. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2014; 140:921-35. [PMID: 24659394 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-014-1645-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Metastatic melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. It is highly resistant to conventional therapies,particularly to drugs that cause apoptosis as the main anticancer mechanism. Recently, induction of autophagic cell death is emerging as a novel therapeutic target for apoptotic-resistant cancers. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms elicited by the cytotoxic combination of 2-chloro-N(6)-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyluronamide(Cl-IB-MECA, a selective A(3) adenosine receptor agonist; 10 μM) and paclitaxel (10 ng/mL) on human C32 and A375 melanoma cell lines. METHODS Cytotoxicity was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide reduction, neutral red uptake, and lactate dehydrogenase leakage assays, after 48-h incubation. Autophagosome and autolysosome formation was detected by fluorescence through monodansylcadaverine-staining and CellLight(®) Lysosomes-RFP-labelling, respectively. Cell nuclei were visualized by Hoechst staining, while levels of p62 were determined by an ELISA kit. Levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the alterations of microtubule networks were evaluated by immunofluorescence. RESULTS We demonstrated, for the first time, that the combination of Cl-IB-MECA with paclitaxel significantly increases cytotoxicity, with apoptosis and autophagy the major mechanisms involved in cell death. Induction of autophagy, using clinically relevant doses,was confirmed by visualization of autophagosome and autolysosome formation, and downregulation of mTOR and p62 levels. Caspase-dependent and caspase-independent mitotic catastrophe evidencing micro- and multinucleation was also observed in cells exposed to our combination. CONCLUSIONS The combination of Cl-IB-MECA and paclitaxel causes significant cytotoxicity on two melanoma cell lines through multiple mechanisms of cell death. This multifactorial hit makes this therapy very promising as it will help to avoid melanoma multiresistance to chemotherapy and therefore potentially improve its treatment.
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Enninga EAL, Holtan SG, Creedon DJ, Dronca RS, Nevala WK, Ognjanovic S, Markovic SN. Immunomodulatory effects of sex hormones: requirements for pregnancy and relevance in melanoma. Mayo Clin Proc 2014; 89:520-35. [PMID: 24684874 PMCID: PMC4286150 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2013] [Revised: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Similarities between the pathologic progression of cancer and the physiologic process of placentation (eg, proliferation, invasion, and local/systemic tolerance) have been recognized for many years. Sex hormones such as human chorionic gonadotropin, estrogens, progesterone, and others contribute to induction of immunologic tolerance at the beginning of gestation. Sex hormones have been shown to play contributory roles in the growth of cancers such as breast cancer, prostrate cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer, but their involvement as putative mediators of the immunologic escape of cancer is still being elucidated. Herein, we compare the emerging mechanism by which sex hormones modulate systemic immunity in pregnancy and their potentially similar role in cancer. To do this, we conducted a PubMed search using combinations of the following keywords: "immune regulation," "sex hormones," "pregnancy," "melanoma," and "cancer." We did not limit our search to specific publication dates. Mimicking the maternal immune response to pregnancy, especially in late gestation, might aid in design of better therapies to reconstitute endogenous antitumor immunity and improve survival.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Svetomir N Markovic
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
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Newlands C, Gurney B. Management of regional metastatic disease in head and neck cutaneous malignancy. 2. Cutaneous malignant melanoma. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2014; 52:301-7. [PMID: 24565440 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2014.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This is the second of 2 articles giving an overview of the current evidence for management of the neck and parotid in cutaneous cancers of the head and neck. We discuss cutaneous malignant melanoma and review the latest evidence for management of the regional nodes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ben Gurney
- Royal Surrey County Hospital, United Kingdom
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de Vin T, Engels B, Gevaert T, Storme G, De Ridder M. Stereotactic radiotherapy for oligometastatic cancer: a prognostic model for survival. Ann Oncol 2013; 25:467-71. [PMID: 24355488 DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdt537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is a safe and locally effective treatment for patients with inoperable oligometastases. The challenge remains identifying subsets of patients that benefit in terms of overall survival (OS). PATIENTS AND METHODS Between 2005 and 2011, 309 patients with ≤5 metastases were treated by stereotactic body radiotherapy (n=209) and/or by intracranial single or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (n=107). We analyzed OS and carried out a risk factor analysis. RESULTS The median survival of all patients was 24 months. The 3-, 4- and 5-year OS rates were 32%, 25% and 19%, respectively. The following four risk factors were independently associated with impaired OS: nonadenocarcinoma histology (P<0.01), intracranial metastases (P<0.01), synchronous oligometastatic disease (P<0.01) and male gender (P=0.02). Patients with 0, 1 and 2 risk factors displayed a median survival (95% CI) of 40 (24-63), 29 (23-35) and 23 (16-29) months, respectively, and are defined as patients with good prognosis. Patients with 3 and 4 risk factors had a median survival of 9 (6-11) and 4 (1-7) months only and are defined as bad prognostic patients. CONCLUSIONS We identified subsets of oligometastatic cancer patients with good prognosis after SRT. These patients are candidates for inclusion in prospective randomized trials for defining the role of SRT in the management of oligometastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- T de Vin
- Department of Radiation Oncology, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Osborne DL, Hames R. A life history perspective on skin cancer and the evolution of skin pigmentation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 153:1-8. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Osborne
- Department of Anthropology; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Lincoln NE
| | - Raymond Hames
- Department of Anthropology; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Lincoln NE
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Damsky WE, Theodosakis N, Bosenberg M. Melanoma metastasis: new concepts and evolving paradigms. Oncogene 2013; 33:2413-22. [PMID: 23728340 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2013.194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2013] [Revised: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma progression is typically depicted as a linear and stepwise process in which metastasis occurs relatively late in disease progression. Significant evidence suggests that in a subset of melanomas, progression is much more complex and less linear in nature. Epidemiologic and experimental observations in melanoma metastasis are reviewed here and are incorporated into a comprehensive model for melanoma metastasis, which takes into account the varied natural history of melanoma formation and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- W E Damsky
- 1] Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA [2] Department of Pathology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - N Theodosakis
- Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - M Bosenberg
- Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Fridberg M, Jonsson L, Bergman J, Nodin B, Jirström K. Modifying effect of gender on the prognostic value of clinicopathological factors and Ki67 expression in melanoma: a population-based cohort study. Biol Sex Differ 2012; 3:16. [PMID: 22748166 PMCID: PMC3418558 DOI: 10.1186/2042-6410-3-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2012] [Accepted: 07/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Malignant melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer. Female sex is known to have a protective effect on incidence, tumour characteristics, and mortality from melanoma. However, the potentially modifying effect of sex on the prognostic significance of clinicopathological and investigative factors is generally not taken into consideration in biomarker studies. In this study, we compared the sex-specific distribution and prognostic value of established tumour characteristics and Ki67 expression in 255 cases of incident primary melanoma in a prospective, population-based cohort study. Methods The study included 255 incident cases of melanoma, 132 females and 123 males, in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. Tumours from 226 (88.6%) cases had been assembled in tissue microarrays. Clinicopathological factors and immunohistochemical Ki67 expression were assessed and correlated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) using Kaplan-Meier analysis, log rank test and univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses, stratified for gender. Effect of gender on melanoma-specific survival (MSS) after first recurrence was also analysed. Results Women were significantly younger at diagnosis than men (p = 0.012). The most common tumour sites were the legs in women (37.5%) and the dorsal trunk in men (37.8%). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that tumour location had no prognostic impact in women, but in men, location to the frontal trunk was significantly associated with a reduced DFS compared with all other locations combined and location to the dorsal trunk was significantly associated with a prolonged OS. High Ki67 expression was significantly associated with a reduced DFS and OS in men but not in women, also when adjusted for other factors. In men, but not in women, ulceration was an independent prognostic factor for both DFS and OS. MSS after first local, regional or distant recurrence was significantly shorter for men than for women. Conclusions The results from this study demonstrate that the prognostic value of tumour location, Ki67 expression and ulceration in melanoma differs according to gender. These findings need to be validated in future studies, as they may help improve prognostication in patients with melanoma. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that sex-stratified analyses add valuable information to biomarker studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Fridberg
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Pathology, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 221 85 Lund, Sweden.
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