title: Prognostic factors in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma. A multivariate analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current methods to predict survival in patients with advanced, metastatic melanoma are limited. To determine clinical prognostic factors that accurately predict survival in patients with metastatic melanoma, a retrospective analysis was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical, hematologic, and biochemical pretreatment parameters from 284 patients entered on 18 Phase I and II clinical trials were analyzed to determine their prognostic effect on survival. A multivariate parametric regression based on the Weibull distribution was derived to estimate survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate Weibull survival regression analysis showed that a simple model using the logarithm of the pretreatment values of lactate dehydrogenase and serum albumin, dichotomized as high and low, significantly and adequately predicted survival. A more complex multivariate model was also derived that involved the pretreatment platelet count, visceral organ involvement, and gender as additional factors. However, a larger study is needed to statistically validate such a model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pretreatment values of serum lactate dehydrogenase and albumin are independent prognostic factors for survival in patients with metastatic melanoma. These two factors can be used to estimate survival of patients with advanced, metastatic melanoma and should be considered when designing melanoma trials in which survival is an endpoint.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Sirott
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Bajorin
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Templeton
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Houghton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010976:Platelet Count; D011379:Prognosis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase