Inverse association between the total naevus count and melanoma thickness

Background Individuals with a high total naevus count (TNC) are at a higher risk to develop melanoma, and screening efforts have been largely focused on this group. However, some studies suggest that melanomas of patients with many nevi are thinner than those of patients with few nevi. Additionally,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 2020-10, Vol.34 (10), p.2303-2307
Main Authors: Marghoob, N.G., Liopyris, K., Navarrete‐Dechent, C., Dusza, S.W., Balais, G., Megaris, A., Papageorgiou, C., Apalla, Z., Lallas, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Female
Humans
Male
Melanoma - epidemiology
Nevus
Nevus, Pigmented - epidemiology
Retrospective Studies
Skin Neoplasms - epidemiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Individuals with a high total naevus count (TNC) are at a higher risk to develop melanoma, and screening efforts have been largely focused on this group. However, some studies suggest that melanomas of patients with many nevi are thinner than those of patients with few nevi. Additionally, nodular melanoma has been associated with individuals with a low naevus count. Objective To investigate the association between TNC and melanoma Breslow thickness. Methods A two‐centre retrospective study from 1 January 2016 to 1 January 2018. This included three hundred and twenty‐six consecutive melanoma patients from two tertiary melanoma centres. The mean age at presentation was 58.3 years (SD = 15.9), and the majority (54.9%, N = 179) were men. Incidence of new in situ and invasive melanomas and correlation with TNC were measured. Results The mean total naevus count for patients presenting with in situ melanoma was 57.2 (range 4–178), while for patients presenting with invasive disease was 31.5 (P = 0.01). In situ disease was associated with a higher TNC across all ages. For invasive melanoma, a positive association between age and Breslow thickness was observed, while TNC was inversely associated with Breslow thickness. Each additional naevus accounted for a 4% decreased likelihood that the subject had invasive disease. Conclusion Patients with a higher naevus count had thinner melanomas and more melanomas in situ, independent of age and sex.
ISSN:0926-9959
1468-3083
DOI:10.1111/jdv.16367