Melanoma transection doesn't affect overall survival

(HealthDay)—Melanoma transection does not affect disease-free survival or mortality, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Mohsin Mir, M.D., from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues retrospectively reviewed cases of melanoma at Baylor from 2000 to 2008. Transection rates were determined in 479 cases, and transected tumors were matched with non-transected cases to evaluate survival in a case-control manner.

The researchers found that the rate of melanoma transection was 1.5 percent for excisional biopsies, 4.1 percent for punch biopsies, and 9.0 percent for saucerization biopsies. Mean disease-free survival was 911 days for controls and 832.7 days for the transected group (P = 0.67). Overall survival was not significantly different between the groups (1,073.7 days for control group versus 1,012.4 days for transected group).

"Punch and saucerization biopsies were more likely to transect tumors than excisional biopsies," the authors write. "The transection of melanoma did not affect overall disease-free survival or mortality in the population studied."

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