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. 2023 May 25;30(6):5266-5278.
doi: 10.3390/curroncol30060400.

A Descriptive Study of Repeated Hospitalizations and Survival of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma in the Northern Italian Region during 2004-2019

Matilde Mannucci  1 , Vincenzo Fontana  1 , Dalila Campanella  1 , Rosa Angela Filiberti  1 , Paolo Pronzato  2 , Alessandra Rosa  1
Affiliations

A Descriptive Study of Repeated Hospitalizations and Survival of Patients with Metastatic Melanoma in the Northern Italian Region during 2004-2019

Matilde Mannucci et al. Curr Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Survival rates for metastatic melanoma (MM) patients have improved in recent years, leading to major expenses and health resource use. We conducted a non-concurrent prospective study to describe the burden of hospitalization in a real-world setting for patients with MM.

Methods: Patients were tracked throughout all hospital stays in 2004-2019 by means of hospital discharges. The number of hospitalizations, the rehospitalization rate, the average time spent in the hospital and the time span between consecutive admissions were evaluated. Relative survival was also calculated.

Results: Overall, 1570 patients were identified at the first stay (56.5% in 2004-2011 and 43.7% in 2012-2019). A total of 8583 admissions were retrieved. The overall rehospitalization rate was 1.78 per patient/year (95%CI = 1.68-1.89); it increased significantly with the period of first stay (1.51, 95%CI = 1.40-1.64 in 2004-2011 and 2.11, 95%CI = 1.94-2.29 thereafter). The median time span between hospitalizations was lower for patients hospitalized after 2011 (16 vs. 26 months). An improvement in survival for males was highlighted.

Conclusions: The hospitalization rate of patients with MM was higher in the last years of the study. Compared with a shorter length of stay, patients were admitted to hospitals with a higher frequency. Knowledge of the burden of MM is essential for planning the allocation of healthcare resources.

Keywords: healthcare; hospitalization; melanoma; metastasis; rehospitalization; survival.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall median time span (with 95%CI) between two consecutive hospitalizations of MM patients in Liguria Region during 2004–2019.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Median time span (with 95%CI) between two consecutive hospitalizations of MM patients in Liguria Region during 2004–2019 by period and cause. (A) First admission in 2004–2011; (B) first admission in 2012–2019; (C) melanoma as a cause of admission; and (D) other causes of admission.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Joint effect of gender, age at H0, period of H0 and vital status at last discharge on readmission rates of MM patients in Liguria Region during 2004–2019, estimated through the multivariable negative-binomial regression method. 95%CI: 95% confidence intervals for rate. Vital status: vital status at last discharge.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Difference in relative survival rates between the two periods of H0 (2012–2019 vs. 2004–2011) over a five-year follow-up.
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