A Cross-Sectional Study of Clinical, Dermoscopic, Histopathological, and Molecular Patterns of Scalp Melanoma in Patients With or Without Androgenetic Alopecia
April 2022
TLDR Scalp melanoma is often diagnosed late in people with hair loss, leading to worse outcomes.
This study analyzed 48 cases of scalp melanoma (SM) diagnosed at the A.C.Camargo Cancer Center from 2008 to 2018, focusing on the relationship between SM and androgenetic alopecia/elastosis. It found that 45.8% of SM cases had moderate/severe androgenetic alopecia, and 54.1% had elastosis. These conditions were linked to older age, chronic sun damage, and specific melanoma subtypes and patterns. Genetic analysis of 41 cases revealed that 53.7% had mutations, with BRAF mutations being the most common. The study suggests that SM in areas with hair coverage may be diagnosed later, leading to a higher Breslow thickness and worse prognosis, partly due to the high frequency of detrimental mutations.
