Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

Fall 10-5-2026

Abstract

Cutaneous melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer and remains responsible for most skin cancer–related deaths because of its ability to metastasize to regional lymph nodes and distant organs.1 Breslow thickness has consistently been identified as the most important prognostic factor in melanoma. It measures the vertical depth of invasion from the upper portion of the epidermis to the deepest invasive melanoma cell and is incorporated into the AJCC staging system.2 Although conventional staging relies on categorical thickness thresholds, tumor thickness represents a continuous biological variable. Categorizing patients into discrete thickness groups may obscure important differences in metastatic risk between individuals near or within established thresholds. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program provides a large, population-based dataset representing approximately 48% of the U.S. population. This allows evaluation of metastatic patterns across a diverse, relatively unselected melanoma population.

Download

Share

COinS