title: Improved malignant melanoma prognosis at a consultant-delivered multidisciplinary pigmented lesion clinic in Cork.
abstract: Early detection and excision is the only effective treatment for malignant melanoma. To assess the effect of a consultant-delivered, rapid-access pigmented lesion clinic (PLC) established at the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH), we analyzed melanoma tumour-stage prior to (1998-2002) and after (2003-2007) the advent of the PLC. Patients attending SIVUH had a greater proportion of early-stage tumours (65.3%) compared to the rest of Cork (51.2%), County Cork as a whole (56.7%) and all of Ireland (57.4%). The proportion of SIVUH males with early-stage tumours was statistically significantly higher than the rest of County Cork (chi2 = 11.23, P < 0.05). The proportion of patients > 50y with early-stage tumours was also statistically significantly higher than the rest of County Cork (chi2 = 18.88, P < 0.05), the whole of County Cork (chi2 = 7.84, P < 0.05) and all of Ireland (chi2 = 9.67, P < 0.05). We believe that the early detection and improved prognosis of Cork melanoma patients is at least partly due to the PLC.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Department, South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital, Old Blackrock Road, Cork. sineadfield@hotmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deady
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fitzgibbon
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Comber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult