Association of cutaneous melanoma with subsequent non-cutaneous malignancies - Who is at the Greatest Risk?

Abstract

Abstract Background The risks of non-cutaneous malignancies following melanoma remain unclear. Our study aimed to investigate site-specific risks of subsequent non-cutaneous malignancies in melanoma survivors. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles reported on risks of subsequent non-cutaneous malignancies in melanoma survivors. Pooled proportions and standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were measured using both fix- and random-effects models. Results A total of 26 studies were eventually included. Pooled data demonstrated that Prostate cancer (21.58‰) and breast cancer (18.98‰) were the most common second non-cutaneous malignancies after a primary melanoma, followed by colorectal cancer (7.78‰), lung cancer (5.95‰) and colon cancer (5.72‰). Moreover, the pooled SIRs were 1.23 (95% CI, 1.13–1.34) for prostate cancer, 1.16 (95% CI, 1.07–1.26) for breast cancer, 1.82 (95% CI, 1.60–2.07) for thyroid gland cancer, 1.67 (95% CI, 1.28–2.18) for lymphoid leukaemia, and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.79–0.95) for lung cancer. These findings were consistent after trim-and-fill analyses and restricting analyses to studies with two months lag periods. Conclusions Melanoma survivors are at increased risk for prostate cancer, breast cancer, thyroid gland cancer and lymphoid leukaemia, and at decreased risk for lung cancer. Our findings will provide the reference for patients counseling, second prevention and guidelines-making.