The effect of metastatic site and decade of diagnosis on the individual burden of metastatic melanoma: contemporary estimates of average years of life lost.

OBJECTIVES: Metastatic melanoma (MM) is a leading cause of years of life lost due to malignancy. This study aimed to identify the average years of life lost (AYLL) in MM patients. METHODS: MM patients were identified from a prospectively maintained database, and a linear model predicting AYLL was developed. RESULTS: Between 1970 and 1999, 4,774 patients diagnosed with MM died. The AYLL was 23.2 years. AYLL remained stable across three decades. CONCLUSIONS: AYLL for MM is greater than 20 years, and has not improved. This burden underscores the need for continued research and access to funding for this disease.

Duke Scholars

Author April Kelly Scott Salama Medicine, Medical Oncology

Author Randall Paul Scheri Surgical Oncology

Author James Emmett Herndon II Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics