Surgical Cost Implications of the AJCC v8 staging system for melanoma and the melanoma in focus consensus statement

The introduction of the new American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) guidelines for cutaneous melanoma in January 2018 (AJCC version 8) has redefined stage 1b melanoma. The Breslow thickness has dropped to 0.75mm because this is now reported rounded to the nearest 0.1mm, with mitotic rate no longer a criterion for upstaging to 1b from 1a.1,2 Furthermore, the recent UK Melanoma Focus consensus statement has made recommendations that all patients with a pT1b primary melanoma in the UK should be considered for SLNB, especially where the primary tumour has ≥2 mitoses or lymphovascular invasion.
Source: Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery - Category: Cosmetic Surgery Authors: Tags: Correspondence and Communications Source Type: research