title: Solar elastosis in cutaneous melanoma.
abstract: By studying more than 1,200 patients with cutaneous melanoma and long-term follow-up, I examined the relationship between solar elastosis and age at diagnosis of melanoma, key features of melanoma, and the outcome of overall survival in melanoma. I found that melanomas with elastosis were diagnosed significantly later than those without elastosis (P approximately 0; log-rank test). This result may be because elastosis is positively related to age. However, I also found that melanomas of head and neck areas, which tend to have more elastosis, were diagnosed at later ages than melanomas of other body sites (P = 1.2 x 10-5; log-rank test). Thus, a second explanation for the results favors a protective effect of elastosis on the development of cutaneous melanoma, possibly related to increased levels of vitamin D. I also found that once melanoma develops, cases with elastosis demonstrated no differences in thickness, mitotic rate, ulceration, or overall survival time from cases without elastosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Veterans Affairs and Duke University Medical Centers, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
authors.forename: Robin T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Vollmer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004547:Elastic Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D004549:Elastin / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D004549:Elastin