Factors Related to Nevus-Associated Cutaneous Melanoma: A Case-Case Study

Abstract

A proportion of cutaneous melanomas display neval remnants on histologic examination. Converging lines of epidemiologic and molecular evidence suggest that melanomas arising from nevus precursors differ from melanomas arising de novo. In a large, population-based study comprising 636 cutaneous melanomas subjected to dermatopathology review, we explored the molecular, host, and environmental factors associated with the presence of neval remnants. We found that nevus-associated melanomas were significantly associated with younger age at presentation, non-brown eye color, trunk site, thickness of less than 0.5 mm, and BRAF^V600E mutation. Compared with patients with de novo melanomas, those with nevus-associated tumors were more likely to self-report many moles on their skin as a teenager (odds ratio = 1.94, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-3.72) but less likely to report many facial freckles (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.25-0.96). They also had high total nevus counts (odds ratio = 2.18, 95% confidence interval = 1.26-3.78). On histologic examination, nevus-associated melanomas exhibited less dermal elastosis in adjacent skin compared with de novo melanomas (odds ratio = 0.55, 95% confidence interval = 0.30-1.01). These epidemiologic data accord with the emerging molecular paradigm that nevus-associated melanomas arise through a distinct sequence of causal events that differ from those leading to other cutaneous melanomas.