Breslow Depth is a Risk Factor for Brain Metastases in Patients with Malignant Melanoma

Abstract

Brain metastasis is a cause of grave morbidity and mortality in patients with a diagnosis of malignant melanoma. The reported incidence of brain metastasis in melanoma patients is highly variable: from 10-46% (in retrospective studies) and 30-92% (in autopsy series). Despite the fact that metastasis to brain is relatively common among this patient population, there exists no reliable method to predict the likelihood of this event in patients initially free of brain metastasis. However, we hypothesize that patient factors can predict the likelihood of brain metastases in patients.