OBJECTIVE: To determine if earlier detection of pulmonary metastasis by routine chest radiography (CR) is associated with a prolonged survival. DESIGN: A computer-assisted search of all CR reports on patients with melanoma between 1990 and 1994 at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Positive or suspicious findings for pulmonary metastasis were further pursued through review of medical records and tumor registry files. SETTING AND PATIENTS: A hospital-based population of patients with melanoma undergoing routine CR at Massachusetts General Hospital. RESULTS: Overall, of 994 patients, 75 were identified as having pulmonary metastases by CR (1937 total chest radiographs). In addition, there were 63 patients with suspicious findings that were later shown to be false positive. Chest radiographs provided the initial evidence of metastases in 41 asymptomatic individuals. Thirty-four patients had known melanoma metastases to other sites at the time of the first abnormal chest radiograph. Survival after identification of pulmonary metastasis did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there was no evidence to support the notion that earlier detection of pulmonary metastasis in otherwise asymptomatic individuals confers a survival advantage in an unselected melanoma population.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if earlier detection of pulmonary metastasis by routine chest radiography (CR) is associated with a prolonged survival. DESIGN: A computer-assisted search of all CR reports on patients with melanoma between 1990 and 1994 at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Positive or suspicious findings for pulmonary metastasis were further pursued through review of medical records and tumor registry files. SETTING AND PATIENTS: A hospital-based population of patients with melanoma undergoing routine CR at Massachusetts General Hospital. RESULTS: Overall, of 994 patients, 75 were identified as having pulmonary metastases by CR (1937 total chest radiographs). In addition, there were 63 patients with suspicious findings that were later shown to be false positive. Chest radiographs provided the initial evidence of metastases in 41 asymptomatic individuals. Thirty-four patients had known melanoma metastases to other sites at the time of the first abnormal chest radiograph. Survival after identification of pulmonary metastasis did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there was no evidence to support the notion that earlier detection of pulmonary metastasis in otherwise asymptomatic individuals confers a survival advantage in an unselected melanoma population.
Authors: Lena A von Schuckmann; Maria Celia B Hughes; Reza Ghiasvand; Maryrose Malt; Jolieke C van der Pols; Vanessa L Beesley; Kiarash Khosrotehrani; B Mark Smithers; Adele C Green Journal: JAMA Dermatol Date: 2019-06-01 Impact factor: 10.282
Authors: Roberta Balansin Rigon; Márcia Helena Oyafuso; Andressa Terumi Fujimura; Maíra Lima Gonçalez; Alice Haddad do Prado; Maria Palmira Daflon Gremião; Marlus Chorilli Journal: Biomed Res Int Date: 2015-05-11 Impact factor: 3.411
Authors: Luiz Guilherme Martins Castro; Renato Marchiori Bakos; João Pedreira Duprat Neto; Flávia Vasques Bittencourt; Thais Helena Bello Di Giacomo; Sérgio Schrader Serpa; Maria Cristina de Lorenzo Messina; Walter Refkalefsky Loureiro; Ricardo Silvestre e Silva Macarenco; Hamilton Ometto Stolf; Gabriel Gontijo Journal: An Bras Dermatol Date: 2016 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 1.896
Authors: Wei-Yin Lim; Robin M Turner; Rachael L Morton; Marisa C Jenkins; Les Irwig; Angela C Webster; Mbathio Dieng; Robyn P M Saw; Pascale Guitera; Donald Low; Cynthia Low; Katy J L Bell Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2018-06-20 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: Ryan G Gamble; Daniel Jensen; Andrea L Suarez; Anne H Hanson; Lauren McLaughlin; Jodi Duke; Robert P Dellavalle Journal: Cancers (Basel) Date: 2010-06-07 Impact factor: 6.639