Multiple primary melanomas: do they look the same?. (5th June 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Moscarella, E.; Rabinovitz, H.; Puig, S.; Zalaudek, I.; Oliviero, M.C.; Brown, L.; Alarcon, I.; Malvehy, J.; Longo, C.; Formisano, D.; Carrera, C.; Badenas, C.; Piana, S.; Albertini, G.; Pellacani, G.; Argenziano, G.
• Is Part Of: British journal of dermatology. Volume 168:Number 6(2013:Jun.)
• Page Start: 1267
• Page End: 1272
• Publication Date: 2013-06-05
• Subjects: Dermatology -- Periodicals; Skin -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 616.5
• DOI: 10.1111/bjd.12260
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-0963

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Summary</title> <p> <bold>Background </bold> A series of studies has investigated epidemiological, clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with multiple primary melanoma (MPM). However, comparison of the clinical and dermoscopic features of MPM within a given individual has been described only in case reports.</p> <p> <bold>Objectives </bold> To describe the dermoscopic features of MPM for each given patient, and to evaluate the characteristics eventually associated with similar or dissimilar appearance.</p> <p> <bold>Methods </bold> From the databases of three skin‐lesion clinics in the U.S.A., Italy and Spain we collected the dermoscopic images of melanomas in patients diagnosed with MPM.</p> <p> <bold>Results </bold> Among 58 patients with MPM, we found that 53% of patients had dermoscopically similar melanomas and 47% of patients had dermoscopically different melanomas. In older patients 59% of melanomas were dermoscopically similar vs. 47% in younger patients (<italic>P</italic> = 0·377). Similar thickness was associated with the occurrence of dermoscopically similar melanomas (19/30 cases, 63%; <italic>P</italic> = 0·039). Most (65%) of the synchronous lesions were similar, compared with 36% of nonsynchronous lesions (<italic>P</italic> = 0·029), and most (69%) of the melanomas on sun‐damaged skin were similar, vs. 37% of melanomas on nonsun‐damaged skin (<italic>P</italic> = 0·015; odds ratio 3·88, 95% confidence interval 1·11–13·98). The percentage of dermoscopically different melanomas was higher in patients with a family history of melanoma (67% vs. 48%).</p> <p> <bold>Conclusions </bold> MPMs in a given patient have almost the same chance of looking dermoscopically similar or different. However, a subset of elderly patients with sun‐damaged skin may present multiple, similar, thin melanomas characterized by pigment‐network and regression structures.</p> </abstract>