Marina Ambrifi

Association between autoimmune disease and cutaneous melanoma with regard to melanoma prognosis.

An association between autoimmune disease and malignant melanoma (MM) has often been reported in the literature as a positive prognostic factor for MM. Consequently, we evaluated the influence of different autoimmune diseases on the prognosis of MM.

Appearance of malignant melanoma after a non-cutaneous cancer diagnosis

Background: The aim of this study is to find the associations between malignant melanoma (MM) and other non-cutaneous malignancies and to see whether there are possible correlations between them. Methods: We analysed a sample of 1720 patients collected by our melanoma database, to identify patients with both MM and non-cutaneous primary cancer (NCC). The incidence rate (IR) included in our database was calculated as the ratio between the observed patients with NCC and those with MM. Results: A total of 74 patients, with both NCC and MM, were included in our analysis, corresponding to 4.30% of patients with MM present in our melanoma database. After breast cancer (24.3%; IR = 1:4), the most common malignancies were lymphomas (14.8%; IR = 1:4), renal cell carcinoma (13.5%; IR = 1:7), thyroid cancer (9.4%; IR = 1:11), and prostatic carcinoma (8.1%; IR = 1:12), followed by other cancers. Among patients with lymphomas, most patients (72.7%) had a non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Our study shows a high coexistence of multiple malignancies in patients with MM. Conclusion: Although we cannot definitively confirm a true association between non-skin cancers and MM, we believe that there are sufficient links for further investigation in order to identify new aetiological factors and therapeutic targets for these cancers.

Clinicopathological Predictive Factors of Melanoma Lung Metastases

Background: The lung is the second most common site for metastatic malignant melanoma, with a poor prognosis. In this regard, identify clinicopathological predictors for Melanoma Lung Metastases (MLM) plays a pivotal role in clinical practice. Methods: We computer-searched the clinical records of all our patients registered in our melanoma database to identify patients that presented MLM. Kaplan-Meier product was used to estimate time to MELANOMA LUNG METASTASES (TMLM) and Overall Survival (OS); while the log-rank test was used to evaluate differences between the survival curves. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed in the analysis between clinicopathological features of the primary tumor and MLM. Results: A total of 63 patients with MLM were included in our analysis. Median TMLM was 27.4 months, while median OS was 55.5 months, with a Median Lung Metastases Survival (MLMS) of 10 months. Melanoma patients with a primary axial tumor (p<0.001) and with an age ≤ 60 years (p=0.01) showed a better TMLM. While OS was statistically significant higher only in axial melanomas (p<0.001), multivariate analysis showed that peripheral site of the primary tumor remained the main predictor to develop MLM, with a significant influence in TMLM and also in the long-term (p<0.01 and p=0.04). Conclusions: Currently no standardized therapies exist for MLM. In this regard, the prevention of secondary recurrences plays a pivotal role in the management of melanoma patients. According to our results, peripheral melanoma is the main predictor for development of MLM.