Background: Choosing the adequate systemic treatment for melanoma is driven by clinical parameters and personal preferences. Objective: Evaluation of the impact of disease and treatment on the daily life of patients receiving systemic therapy for melanoma. Methods: A German-wide, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at 13 specialized skin cancer centres from 08/2020 to 03/2021. A questionnaire was distributed to assess patients' perception of disease and symptoms, the impact of their current treatment on quality of life (QOL) and activities, adverse events (AEs),
Purpose
Uveal melanoma (UM) is an orphan cancer of high unmet medical need. Current patterns of care and surveillance remain unclear as they are situated in an interdisciplinary setting.
Methods
A questionnaire addressing the patterns of care and surveillance in the management of patients with uveal melanoma was distributed to 70 skin cancer centers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Frequency distributions of responses for each item of the questionnaire were calculated.
Results
44 of 70 (62.9%) skin cancer centers completed the questionnaire. Thirty-nine hospitals were located in Germany (88.6%), three in Switzerland (6.8%) and two in Austria (4.5%). The majority (68.2%) represented university hospitals. Most patients with metastatic disease were treated in certified skin cancer centers (70.7%, 29/41). Besides, the majority of patients with UM were referred to the respective skin cancer center by ophthalmologists (87.2%, 34/39). Treatment and organization of follow-up of patients varied across the different centers. 35.1% (14/37) of the centers stated to not perform any screening measures.
Conclusion
Treatment patterns of patients with uveal melanoma in Germany, Austria and Switzerland remain extremely heterogeneous. A guideline for the treatment and surveillance is urgently needed.
Zusammenfassung
Das metastasierte maligne Melanom geh?rt zu den g?ngigen Diagnosen in der Dermatologie. In Assoziation mit einem Melanom m?ssen metastasensuspekte Befunde in der bildgebenden Diagnostik sorgsam bewertet werden.
Wir stellen eine Patientin mit einem Melanom im Stadium IA nach AJCC vor, bei der im Staging multiple metastasensuspekte Lymphknoten sowie eine zystische verdr?ngende Raumforderung im Unterbauch gefunden wurden. Durch fach?bergreifende Diagnostik inklusive der Entnahme einer Histologie konnte die seltene Diagnose einer Lymphangioleiomyomatose gestellt werden. Eine Therapie mit dem mTor-Inhibitor Sirolimus wird hier propagiert. Die Studienlage bez?glich einer Therapie mit Sirolimus bei Melanompatienten ist noch nicht ausreichend gekl?rt, wenngleich ein positiver Effekt bereits publiziert wurde.
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