0000000000391410
AUTHOR
Simone Ribero
Effects of sex on naevus body distribution and melanoma risk in two melanoma case-control studies at different latitudes
Naevus count is the most predictable phenotypic risk factor for melanoma and is mainly influenced by genetic factors1,2,3. Melanoma disparities according to gender have been reported in many studies in term of body distribution, survival and to a lesser extent incidence1,2. It is well established that women are more likely to get melanoma on the lower limbs, whilst men are more prone to melanoma on the trunk. In this study, we explore the effects of gender on the distribution of naevi on the body in melanoma cases and controls from different latitudes and whether the odds ratios for melanoma associated with naevi at different body sites are affected by gender. Two case control studies are c…
Improving the disease awareness: how a communication campaign brings hidradenitis suppurativa to the light
Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa is an inflammatory skin disease that presents a recurrence of painful and suppurating lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing regions, with a strong impact on the patients’ life quality. Despite its peculiar presentation, early forms are often underestimated by patients and this would inevitably result in late diagnosis and delayed therapy. Objectives: Improved communication around the disease could facilitate self-diagnosis and a quicker response from healthcare practitioners, especially in this moment when we dispose of effective treatment against this disease. Methods: A HS awareness campaign was conducted for 2 years with the help of a media agency and…
Prediction of Non-sentinel Node Status in Patients with Melanoma and Positive Sentinel Node Biopsy: An Italian Melanoma Intergroup (IMI) Study
Background and Purpose: Approximately 20% of melanoma patients harbor metastases in non-sentinel nodes (NSNs) after a positive sentinel node biopsy (SNB), and recent evidence questions the therapeutic benefit of completion lymph node dissection (CLND). We built a nomogram for prediction of NSN status in melanoma patients with positive SNB. Methods: Data on anthropometric and clinicopathological features of patients with cutaneous melanoma who underwent CLND after a positive SNB were collected from nine Italian centers. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to identify predictors of NSN status in a training set, while model efficiency was validated in a validation set. Results: Data …
Can sentinel node biopsy be safely omitted in thin melanoma? Risk factor analysis of 1272 multicenter prospective cases
Background: The indication to sentinel node biopsy (SNB) for thin melanomas (Breslow <1 mm) is still subject to controversies. The aim of this paper is to review all SNB performed for thin melanoma and to analyze factors related to lymphatic metastasis. Moreover, the diagnostic performance of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th AJCC classifications for cutaneous melanoma were investigated. Methods: All sentinel node biopsies performed for thin melanomas were selected from a multicentre prospectively-collected database. For each patient the following was collected: age, sex, date of treatment, site of primary melanoma, histopathologic features (Breslow, Clark, number of mitoses/mm2 , presence of ul…