Study solidifies association between NHL, melanoma, and poor outcomes

Publishing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers at the Mayo Clinic sought to better understand why it is that people diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are sometimes diagnosed shortly thereafter with mesothelioma or merckel cell carcinoma, at a rate higher than found in the general public.

An association between malignant melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (including CLL) has long been known to exist; in fact malignant melanoma occurs 2.3 to 3.1 times more often in patients with NHLs. However, this is among the first studies to look at whether the lymphomas influence outcomes in melanomas.

"... This is the first study to really solidify that the aggressive forms of skin cancer — namely melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma — behave worse in people with lymphoma,” Brewer said. “Not only do these patients have worse overall survival, but their chances of dying from metastatic melanoma or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma is also significantly increased. It would be prudent to educate our patients with lymphoma of this phenomenon and have them be seen by a dermatologist for regular skin examinations.”

Source: HemOncToday