In this single-center, case-control study, researchers investigated the staging, risk factors, and outcomes of melanoma in reproductive-age women and specifically analyzed outcomes for women diagnosed during or within one year of pregnancy.
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Referred to a clinical database of electronic medical records, Cleveland Clinic’s Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute researchers collected detailed data of cutaneous melanomas developing in 462 women, aged 49 and below.
Pregnant women with melanoma were also seven times more likely to have their cancer spread and nine times more likely to have a recurrence of their cancer in 7.5 years, according to the research. This rate is five times higher than the rate of non-pregnant women. They are of the opinion that pregnant women with skin cancer melanoma are more likely to die from the disease than non-pregnant women with melanoma. The women in the PAMM cohort had a significantly worse prognosis compared with the control group, including a higher incidence of recurrence (12.5 % vs. 1.4%; P .001), metastasis (25% vs. 12.7%, P =.03), and trend toward higher incidence of melanoma mortality (20% vs. 10.3%; P =.06). All of the subjects were diagnosed with melanoma via positive biopsy tests from 1988 to 2012. 41 women were diagnosed either during pregnancy or within one year of being pregnant.
These recommendations should be followed especially by women who have a large number of moles on their body, who are aware of having spent too much time sunbathing or indoor tanning throughout their lives, or who have had cases of skin cancer in the family. He suggests, however, that pregnancy-related hormonal imbalances or suppressed immune system may aid tumor growth. Despite seemingly limited results, the researchers cautioned that physicians should advise pregnant women with melanoma to monitor their skin for the slightest change or abnormality. Cancer cells metastasize faster during pregnancy, which is why it is important for women who are planning to get pregnant to be more aware of this information.
A new study found that melanoma is five times deadlier in pregnant women.
Pregnant women with the skin cancer melanoma may be more likely to die from it than women with melanoma who are not pregnant, according to a new study.
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The American Academy of Dermatology says that people should stay in shaded areas, use an SPF 30 or higher water-resistant sunscreen and wear protective clothing.
