title: Improvement of survival in patients with melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers compared to patients without double cutaneous malignancies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The worldwide incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM) has been rising steadily over the past 30 years. At the same time non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are the most prevalent type of cancer in United States and Europe. Up to date, no paper has explored the influence on the general survival in patients with MM and NMSC. We decided to perform a study with the aim to evaluate the different survival in patients with MM-NMSC compared to control patients (MM-CTRL).
  
  
  METHODS
  To evaluate prognosis in both groups, we analyzed disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).Kaplan-Meier product was performed for the survival analysis. Median DFS was 73 months in group and 72 months in MM-CTRL patients (p = 0.4); while, median OS was 74.2 months in MM-NMSC patients and 63.1 in MM-CTRL (p < 0.001). Also at Odds-Ratio (OR), the statistical significance was maintained (p < 0.007) with a better prognostic value for MM-NMSC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among group patients, the ones with a basal cell carcinoma showed a batter behavior, than the ones with squamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with MM-NMSC showed a better survival than MM-CTRL patients (p < 0.001). The causes of this improved survival are still unknown; probably the endogenous immune response can play a pivotal role in this class of patients. However, further studies are necessary to better understand this phenomenon, not yet explored in literature.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Dermatology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy. onlypaper@libero.it.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bottoni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paolino
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Didona
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corsetti
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clerico
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cantisani
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Richetta
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arcidiacono
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scali
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pranteda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calvieri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D000096142:Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma