AsianScientist (Oct. 23, 2014) – Australian scientists have found that more people die from thin melanomas than thick melanomas, reinforcing the need for strong prevention strategies. The findings have been published in Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
The thickness of melanomas in the skin is measured by pathologists following excision. Generally, as melanomas become thicker there is a greater chance of the cancer spreading.
According to QIMR Berghofer’s Professor David Whiteman, who led the study, although thick melanomas have a poor prognosis and lower survival rates, they make up only a minority of melanomas diagnosed in Queensland.
“We found the huge increases in the numbers of thin melanomas being detected means that, overall, they account for more melanoma deaths than thick tumors,” he said.
The study examined Queensland Cancer Registry data from more than 4,000 melanoma deaths in the two decades from 1990 to 2009.
From 1990 to 1994, thin melanomas accounted for 14 percent of all melanoma deaths, and that increased to 23 percent from 2005-2009. Thick melanomas accounted for 11 percent of melanoma deaths in the first five years of the study period, and increased to 14 percent in the last five.
Only a small proportion of patients with thin tumors die from their disease, but as the number of cases rise there has been a corresponding increase in the number of deaths.
“This research highlights the message that all melanomas are potentially dangerous,” Professor Whiteman said.
“The statistics should serve to remind us that vigilance is essential to ensure that all melanomas are diagnosed as early as possible, or even better, prevented altogether.”
The article can be found at: Whiteman et al. (2014) More people die from thin melanomas (4mm) in Queensland, Australia.
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Source: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute ; Photo: Elvert Barnes/Flickr/CC.
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