Survival and prognostic variables of cutaneous melanoma observed between 1995 and 2000 at Istituto Dermopatico Dell'Immacolata (IDI-IRCCS), Rome, Italy

Introduction Melanoma is an increasingly common malignancy of melanocytes, with incidence rates steadily rising over the past several decades. The objective of this study was to evaluate 5-year survival and to investigate the association between melanoma mortality and clinical and histological features.Methods We conducted a 5-year cohort study among 1020 patients from the same geographic area (Rome) with a single primary cutaneous melanoma diagnosed between January 1995 and December 2000. Survival probability was determined by Kaplan-Meier estimates, and prognostic factors were evaluated by multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazards model).Results Survival decreased with increasing age (P for trend 4.0 mm (RR 34.6, 95% Cl 8.23-145.7) (P for trend 4.0 mm were 65.4, 153.6, 274.3 and 317.6 years, respectively.Conclusion This study shows the great importance of secondary melanoma prevention and illustrates how many years of life could be saved by early diagnosis.