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Living alone increased risk for melanoma death among men
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Men with cutaneous malignant melanoma are more likely to die of the disease if they live alone, according to recent findings.
Additionally, men who live alone tend to be diagnosed with cutaneous malignant melanoma at a more advanced stage than their cohabiting counterparts, which may in part explain the reduced survival rate in these patients.
In a nationwide, population-based study, researchers evaluated 27,235 patients enrolled in the Swedish Melanoma Register. The patients, who were diagnosed with primary invasive malignant melanoma between 1990 and 2007, were linked to nationwide, population-based registers that were monitored through 2012.
The researchers adjusted for factors such as age at diagnosis, education level attained, living area, period of diagnosis and site of the tumor.
After adjusting for these factors, the researchers found that the ORs of more advanced stage at diagnosis were significantly greater in men living alone vs. cohabiting men (stage II vs. stage I: OR=1.42; 95% CI, 1.29-1.58; stage III or IV vs. stage I: OR=1.43; 95% CI, 1.14-1.79).
Among women living alone, there also was an increased OR for stage II vs. stage I cutaneous malignant melanoma (OR=1.15; 95% CI, 1.04-1.28). In particular, older women living alone were found to have more advanced disease at the time of diagnosis.
The adjusted melanoma-specific survival among men living alone was significantly decreased (HR for death=1.48; 95% CI, 1.33-1.65). After further adjustment for all possible and known prognostic factors, there remained a significant decrease in malignant melanoma-specific survival among men living alone vs. cohabiting men (HR=1.31; 95% CI, 1.18-1.46), which implies a residual negative effect on survival that cannot be explained by these factors.
According to the researchers, the later diagnosis and increased mortality in men and older women may be related to insufficient knowledge about melanoma, but they also theorized that it was due to a lack of regular skin examinations.
“This points to a need for targeted interventions for earlier detection of cutaneous malignant melanoma in men and older individuals, since this is critical for surviving the disease,” Hanna Eriksson, PhD, of the department of oncology-pathology, Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said in a press release. “By way of example, procedures are needed for skin examinations of these patients in connection with other doctor visits or checkups.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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