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Pregnancy did not significantly impact tumor proliferation in early stage melanoma

Pregnancy was not significantly associated with tumor proliferation in primarily early stage melanoma, according to recently published study results.

Researchers reviewed medical records and pathology reports from 438 reproductive-age women (aged 18 to 45 years) who were diagnosed with melanoma between 2006 and 2015. Mitotic count and phosphohistone H3 and Ki-67, immunohistochemical markers of proliferation, were used to examine tumor proliferation rates.

There were 50 women with pregnancy-associated melanoma (PAM) and 122 women with non-PAM. Melanoma in situ was more common in PAM (56% vs. 37.7%; P = .041). The median age of the women was 33.5 years. There was no difference in proliferative activity between the cohorts among invasive melanomas.

Age at diagnosis, tumor site, Breslow depth, Clark level, ulceration or overall stage were not associated with pregnancy status.

Study limitations included that it was a retrospective study, had a small sample size and most patients had early stage melanoma, the researchers reported.

“We report a significantly greater percentage of in situ disease in PAM compared with our control population,” the researchers concluded. “In our study of primarily early stage melanoma, pregnancy did not have a significant impact on tumor proliferation. Our results support the opinion that for patients with stage I melanoma, particularly those undergoing close clinical surveillance, a history of PAM should not outweigh traditional factors, such as advanced maternal age, in planning future pregnancies.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: Merkel reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.