AbstractThe increasing number of melanoma patients makes it necessary to develop best possible strategies for prognosis assessment in order to recommend appropriate therapy and follow‐up. The prognostic significance of tumor cell pigmentation has not been fully elucidated. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)‐stained sections of 775 melanomas diagnosed between 2012 and 2015 were independently assessed for melanin pigment abundance by two investigators, and the impact on melanoma‐specific survival was calculated. Unpigmented melanomas (n = 99) had a melanoma‐specific survival of 67.7%, melanomas with moderate pigmentation (n = 384) had a melanoma‐specific survival of 85.9%, and strongly pigmented melanomas (n = 292) had a melanoma‐specific survival of 91.4% (p < .001). In an analysis of melanoma‐specific survival adjusted for pT stage and pigmentation, we found a nonsignificant impact of pigmentation abundance with a hazard ratio of 1.277 (p = .74). The study presented here provides evidence in a German cohort that patients with pigmented melanomas have a more favorable prognosis than those diagnosed with nonpigmented melanomas. Moreover, the abundance of pigmentation already seems to provide a first prognostic estimate. However, it does not appear to provide significant additional value for prognostic assessment according to the AJCC 2017 pT classification.

More from our Archive

• DOI: 10.1093/ced/llad255 2023

  ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4 dermatological knowledge level based on the Specialty Certificate Examination in Dermatology

  Miłosz Lewandowski, Paweł Łukowicz, Dariusz Świetlik, Wioletta Barańska-Rybak

• DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2023.2217 2023

  Genetic Variants Associated With Hidradenitis Suppurativa

  Quan Sun, K. Alaine Broadaway, Sharon N. Edmiston, Kristen Fajgenbaum, Tyne Miller-Fleming, Linnea Lackstrom Westerkam, Maria Melendez-Gonzalez, Helen Bui, Franklin R. Blum, Brandt Levitt, Lan Lin, Honglin Hao, Kathleen Mullan Harris, Zhi Liu, Nancy E. Thomas, Nancy J. Cox, Yun Li, Karen L. Mohlke, Christopher J. Sayed

• DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19380 2023

  Atopic dermatitis and risk of 14 site‐specific cancers: A Mendelian randomization study

  Qiang Liu, Li Chen, Yipeng Wang, Xiangyu Wang, Sarah J. Lewis, Jing Wang

• DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2023.2428 2023

  Evaluation of Dupilumab in Patients With Bullous Pemphigoid

  Liuqi Zhao, Qijun Wang, Guirong Liang, Yuxi Zhou, Nam Yiu, Baoqi Yang, Guiying Zhang, Wei Li, Suying Feng, Panpan Shang, Xixue Chen, Xuejun Zhu, Jie Zheng, Meng Pan, Mingyue Wang

• DOI: 10.1093/bjd/ljad245 2023

  Exploring the natural and treatment history of vitiligo: perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals from the global VALIANT study

  Iltefat H Hamzavi, Kristen Bibeau, Pearl Grimes, John E Harris, Nanja van Geel, Davinder Parsad, Mukta Tulpule, Jackie Gardner, Yan Valle, Gaone Tlhong Matewa, Christine LaFiura, Haobo Ren, Khaled Ezzedine

• DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19375 2023

  Prevention of atopic dermatitis in high‐risk neonates via different types of moisturizer application: A randomized, blinded, parallel, three‐group, phase <scp>II</scp> trial (<scp>PAF</scp> study)

  Y. Inuzuka, K. Yamamoto‐Hanada, T. Kobayashi, K. Pak, K. Toyokuni, H. Ogita, T. Miyoshi, K. Ogawa, H. Sago, Y. Ohya

• DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2023.2029 2023

  Rates of Second Tumor, Metastasis, and Death From Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients With and Without Transplant-Associated Immunosuppression

  Petter Gjersvik, Ragnhild S. Falk, Ingrid Roscher, Syed Mohammad Husain Rizvi, Geir Mjøen, Einar Gude, Inga Leuckfeld, Kirsten Muri Boberg, Marit B. Veierød, Trude Eid Robsahm

• DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19328 2023

  Evaluating the risk of infections under interleukin 23 and interleukin 17 inhibitors relative to tumour necrosis factor inhibitors – A population‐based study

  Khalaf Kridin, Henner Zirpel, Noor Mruwat, Ralf J. Ludwig, Diamant Thaci

• DOI: 10.1111/ddg.15162 2023

  Wheat‐dependent exercise‐induced anaphylaxis: subtypes, diagnosis, and management

  Valentina Faihs, Claudia Kugler, Viktoria Schmalhofer, Katharina Anne Scherf, Barbara Lexhaller, Charlotte G Mortz, Carsten Bindslev‐Jensen, Tilo Biedermann, Knut Brockow

• DOI: 10.1111/jocd.15924 2023

  Evaluation of systemic oxidative stress in patients with melasma

  Hoda Rahimi, Mina Mirnezami, Anousha Yazdabadi, Aazam Hajihashemi