Pediatric patients with cutaneous melanoma: A European study

Background Epidemiological knowledge and predictors of melanoma among children and adolescents in multiethnic populations are limited. Procedure Using data from the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 13 database, we identified incident melanoma cases diagnosed at 0–20 years old during 1995–2013 in Texas and the United States, respectively. Using negative binomial regression, associations between demographic factors and melanoma incidence rates (IR) were evaluated by calculating incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Annual percent change in IRs was assessed with joinpoint regression. Results Overall, the melanoma IR was 4.16 (TCR, n = 634) and 4.84 (SEER, n = 1260) per million. Females, adolescents, non‐Hispanic (NH) whites, and Hispanics had higher IRs compared with other groups (P < 0.05). In adjusted analyses, Hispanics had a higher incidence of melanoma than NH non‐whites (Texas IRR = 2.17; 95% CI, 1.30–3.61; SEER IRR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.97–4.21). In Texas, NH whites with melanoma were more likely to live in low poverty areas, whereas the opposite trend was observed in Hispanics. Melanoma IRs increased throughout 1995–2004 followed by an average annual decrease of 7.6% (95% CI, −12.6%, −2.2%) in Texas and 6.0% (95% CI, −8.5%, −3.4%) in SEER during 2005–2013 (P < 0.05). However, these decreasing trends were not observed among Hispanics or those <10 years old. Conclusion Although the overall melanoma IR in children and adolescents appears to be decreasing, this trend is not evident among Hispanics and young children, implicating the need for further research investigating the etiologies and risk factors in these groups.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Malignant melanoma incidence among children and adolescents in Texas and SEER 13, 1995–2013

Danysh

Navai

Scheurer

et al. 2019

“…There is still a lack of awareness that young people can develop melanoma, and this frequently leads to diagnostic delays and to cases being referred inappropriately to experienced oncology centers . Published series are mainly retrospective single‐institution series . Very few prospective studies have been conducted to date, and only on small samples of patients .…”

Section: Clinical Management and Therapeutic Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Very few prospective studies have been conducted to date, and only on small samples of patients . The EXPeRT recently published an interesting observational analysis on a sample that included a relatively large number of melanoma cases (219 patients aged 0–18 years) prospectively registered and treated within a short period of time (2002–2012) in different countries (Italy, Poland, France, Germany, and Israel) . Among the main results, the authors reported 3‐year OS and disease‐free survival rates of 91.4% and 84.0%, respectively.…”

Section: Clinical Management and Therapeutic Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is noteworthy that among stage III cases, survival rates were similar for patients with or without adjuvant therapy. Another interesting finding was that patients treated at pediatric oncology departments and registered by national cooperative pediatric oncology groups focusing on rare tumors (n = 140) were more likely to have advanced disease than those listed in dermatology registries (n = 79) …”

Section: Clinical Management and Therapeutic Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a paucity of literature on systemic treatments for advanced melanoma in young people. Given the lack of any standard treatment and limited access to clinical trials (phase III studies conducted to date have usually excluded patients under 18 years old), therapeutic options used in the past for young patients with advanced melanoma have included chemotherapy, alone or combined with IFN . It is well known from past experience, however, that chemotherapy is of very little clinical benefit in melanoma, achieving poor disease control and unsatisfactory survival curves …”

Section: Clinical Management and Therapeutic Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Cutaneous melanoma in adolescents and young adults

Indini

Brecht

Vecchio

et al. 2018

Self Cite

Cutaneous melanoma is rare in children, but has greater incidence in adolescents and young adults (AYAs). Diagnosis may be challenging due to its rarity in these age groups. Few studies have specifically addressed the topic of AYA melanoma. Though young-age melanoma may have particular biological characteristics, available data suggest that its clinical history is similar to that of adults. However, advances in treatment of adult melanoma have not been reflected in the treatment of AYAs. There is no standard treatment, and access to clinical trials is difficult for AYAs. Further efforts are needed to overcome these issues by improving cooperation with experts on adult melanoma.

Cutaneous melanoma in children and adolescents: The EXPeRT/PARTNER diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations

Ferrari

Almaraz

Réguerre

et al. 2021

Self Cite

Cutaneous melanoma is rare in children and, like other very rare pediatric tumors, it suffers from a shortage of knowledge and clinical expertise. The clinical management of pediatric melanoma is often challenging. Its clinical and pathological diagnosis may be difficult, and there is no standard treatment. In the absence of specific treatment guidelines, young patients are generally treated following the same principle as for adults, but concern remains about their access to clinical trials and new drugs, which have been shown to dramatically change the natural history of advanced melanoma. This paper presents the internationally recognized recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with cutaneous melanoma, established by the European Cooperative Study Group for Pediatric Rare Tumors