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Review
. 2016 Oct 25:8:543-548.
doi: 10.2147/CLEP.S99484. eCollection 2016.

The Danish Melanoma Database

Lisbet Rosenkrantz Hölmich  1 , Siri Klausen  2 , Eva Spaun  3 , Grethe Schmidt  4 , Dorte Gad  5 , Inge Marie Svane  6 , Henrik Schmidt  7 , Henrik Frank Lorentzen  8 , Else Helene Ibfelt  9
Affiliations
Review

The Danish Melanoma Database

Lisbet Rosenkrantz Hölmich et al. Clin Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Aim of database: The aim of the database is to monitor and improve the treatment and survival of melanoma patients.

Study population: All Danish patients with cutaneous melanoma and in situ melanomas must be registered in the Danish Melanoma Database (DMD). In 2014, 2,525 patients with invasive melanoma and 780 with in situ tumors were registered. The coverage is currently 93% compared with the Danish Pathology Register.

Main variables: The main variables include demographic, clinical, and pathological characteristics, including Breslow's tumor thickness, ± ulceration, mitoses, and tumor-node-metastasis stage. Information about the date of diagnosis, treatment, type of surgery, including safety margins, results of lymphoscintigraphy in patients for whom this was indicated (tumors > T1a), results of sentinel node biopsy, pathological evaluation hereof, and follow-up information, including recurrence, nature, and treatment hereof is registered. In case of death, the cause and date are included. Currently, all data are entered manually; however, data catchment from the existing registries is planned to be included shortly.

Descriptive data: The DMD is an old research database, but new as a clinical quality register. The coverage is high, and the performance in the five Danish regions is quite similar due to strong adherence to guidelines provided by the Danish Melanoma Group. The list of monitored indicators is constantly expanding, and annual quality reports are issued. Several important scientific studies are based on DMD data.

Conclusion: DMD holds unique detailed information about tumor characteristics, the surgical treatment, and follow-up of Danish melanoma patients. Registration and monitoring is currently expanding to encompass even more clinical parameters to benefit both patient treatment and research.

Keywords: Denmark; clinical database; malignant melanoma; melanoma; melanoma registry; quality database.

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Conflict of interest statement

The DMD cooperates with the medical industry in development and research. This includes testing of oncologic products, clinical tests, participation in advisory boards, meetings, and teaching. There are no financial disclosures in relation to this work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regional performance regarding indicator 3 (excisional margins according to guidelines). Notes: The blue dots present the result for each region and Denmark as a whole (with 95% confidence limits) for quality indicator 3: the fraction of tumors where excisional margins are performed according to the guidelines. The vertical dotted line shows the standard set as an aim of acceptance for the indicator by the DMD steering committee. Data from Dansk Melanom Database. Abbreviation: DMD, Danish Melanoma Database.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age-standardized incidence rates from the DMD (full lines) compared with age-standardized incidence rates from the NORDCANa (dotted lines). Notes: aNORDCAN is a collaboration of the cancer registries in the Nordic countries. Data, which can be accessed online in an open version, are derived from the national cancer registries and slightly modified to be comparable. Data from Engholm et al. Abbreviations: DMD, the Danish Melanoma Database; py, per year; DMG, Danish Melanoma Group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Danish Melanoma Group [homepage on the Internet] [Accessed May 2, 2016]. Available from: www.melanoma.dk.
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