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Clinical characteristics and prognostic indicators for metastatic melanoma: data from 446 patients in north China

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Tumor Biology

Abstract

Melanoma is an extremely rare tumor in Asia. This retrospective study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of metastatic melanoma patients at Tian** Medical University Cancer Hospital over the last 30 years. Survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier, log-rank test, and multivariate Cox regression method using SPSS 19.0 software. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates of metastatic melanoma patients were 52, 32, and 16 %, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was 13.5 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) 9.0 months, and median disease-free survival 20.3 months. Furthermore, patients with a single metastatic site achieved better OS and PFS than those with two or more metastatic lesions (OS 21.6 vs. 8.9 months, P < 0.001; PFS 11.3 vs. 7.1 months, P < 0.001). Survival times of patients with visceral metastases were the shortest (OS 8.5 months; PFS 7.5 months). Specifically, patients with primary mucosal lesions had a worse OS (9.7 months) and PFS (6.8 months) than those with acral (19.2 and 15.6 months, respectively) or non-acral primary lesions (11.8 and 11.1 months, respectively). The treatment of advanced melanoma was unitary, and prognoses of patients with metastatic melanoma in China were poor. Visceral metastasis, multiple metastatic sites, and primary mucosal lesions were significant predictors of survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. Those with primary mucosal lesions had significantly worse survivals than those with primary cutaneous lesions. More active involvement in clinical studies and more feedback on various treatment options are required.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (81372872 to J. Yang and 81402215 to X. Du), funds from the University Cancer Foundation via the Sister Institution Network Fund (SINF) at the Tian** Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital (TMUCIH), Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC), and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UT MDACC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Tian** Medical University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Tian**, 300060, China

    Mengze Hao, Yun Yang & Jilong Yang

  2. National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tian** Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tian**, 300060, China

    Mengze Hao, Gang Zhao, Yun Yang & Jilong Yang

  3. Department of Pathology, Tian** Medical University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Tian**, 300060, China

    Gang Zhao

  4. Department of Diagnostic, Tian** Medical University, Tian**, 300070, China

    **aoling Du

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  1. Mengze Hao
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Correspondence to Jilong Yang.

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Hao, M., Zhao, G., Du, X. et al. Clinical characteristics and prognostic indicators for metastatic melanoma: data from 446 patients in north China. Tumor Biol. 37, 10339–10348 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-016-4914-4

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