Summary Background The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) continues to increase in most countries worldwide and the majority are diagnosed with thin tumours (≤ 1 mm). Objectives The aim of the present study was to investigate the melanoma‐specific survival (MSS) as well as conditional MSS (CMSS) in patients with thin CMM in Sweden. Patients and methods Clinical and histological parameters were obtained from the Swedish Melanoma Registry for patients diagnosed with thin CMM between 1990 and 2017. Patients were followed until the end of 2017. MSS as well as CMSS for different thickness groups were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analyses were used to calculate for survival differences between thickness groups. Results There were 31 670 patients included for final analyses. The overall 10‐ and 20‐year MSS for thin CMMs was 97% [95% confidence interval (CI) 97–97] and 95% (95% CI 95–96), respectively. From 0·7 mm and above, MSS decreased significantly with increasing thickness level. All thickness groups had an increased survival over time. The lowest CMSS was confirmed for men with 1·0 mm in thickness but their 10‐year CMSS increased steadily over time. Women had overall better MSS as well as CMSS than men. However, the relation between MSS and CMSS was similar for both sexes. Conclusions MSS was confirmed as excellent for patients with thin CMMs in Sweden. Although we could show a decreased MSS for patients with 0·7 mm thickness and above, the long‐term survival and, in addition, a very favourable CMSS for those patients do not support more extended follow‐up programmes than the current recommendations in Sweden.

Previous studies have demonstrated an anti-tumoral effect of beta-adrenergic blocking agents on cutaneous melanoma (CM). The aim of this study was to investigate if beta-adrenergic blocking agents have an impact on survival in Swedish patients with melanoma. A population-based retrospective registry study including all patients diagnosed with a primary invasive melanoma between 2009 and 2013 was performed. Data from the Swedish Melanoma Register were linked to the Swedish Prescribed Drug Registry and the Swedish Cause of Death Register. Cox regression analyses including competing risk assessments were performed. There were 12,738 patients included, out of which 3702 were exposed to beta-blockers vs. 9036 non-exposed patients. Age, male sex, Breslow thickness, ulceration, and nodal status were independent negative prognostic factors for melanoma-specific survival (MSS). Adding beta-blockers to the analysis did not add any prognostic value to the model (HR 1.00, p = 0.98), neither when adjusting for competing risks (HR 0.97, p = 0.61). When specifically analyzing the use of non-selective beta-blockers, the results were still without statistical significance (HR 0.76, p = 0.21). In conclusion, this population-based registry study could not verify that the use of beta-adrenergic blocking agents improve survival in patients with melanoma.

Background: Several major analyses have identified a consistent set of independent

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