MELANOMA RECURRENCE SURVEILLANCE - PATIENT OR PHYSICIAN BASED

Objective The authors determined the roles of the physician and the pa tient in melanoma recurrence detection. Methods The University of Alab ama Melanoma Registry, consisting of 1475 patients surgically treated for cutaneous melanoma from 1958 to 1984, was searched to find 195 eva luable cases of melanoma recurrence, Patients were grouped by the type oi return visit. Group I returned on a previously determined date, wh ereas group II returned before the scheduled visit. Results Symptoms o f recurrence were present in 90% of group I patients and 93% of group II and correlated with the site of recurrence in more than two thirds oi cases, Recurrence sites were local, regional, and distant in 35%, 3 1%, and 29% of group I, respectively, and 42%, 25%, and 29% of group I I. The median interval to recurrence was 24.2 months in group I and 37 .7 months in group II (p = 0.059), Median overall survival was 57 mont hs in group I and 62 months in Group II (p = 0.210). Conclusions Sympt oms are present in 90% of the patients with recurrent melanoma and acc urately predict the site of recurrence. Overall survival is not affect ed by the type of patient return visit.