Patterns of care and follow-up care of patients with uveal melanoma in German-speaking countries: a multinational survey of the German Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group (DeCOG).

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Uveal melanoma (UM) is an orphan cancer of high unmet medical need. Current patterns of care and surveillance remain unclear as they are situated in an interdisciplinary setting.

METHODS:

A questionnaire addressing the patterns of care and surveillance in the management of patients with uveal melanoma was distributed to 70 skin cancer centers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Frequency distributions of responses for each item of the questionnaire were calculated.

RESULTS:

44 of 70 (62.9%) skin cancer centers completed the questionnaire. Thirty-nine hospitals were located in Germany (88.6%), three in Switzerland (6.8%) and two in Austria (4.5%). The majority (68.2%) represented university hospitals. Most patients with metastatic disease were treated in certified skin cancer centers (70.7%, 29/41). Besides, the majority of patients with UM were referred to the respective skin cancer center by ophthalmologists (87.2%, 34/39). Treatment and organization of follow-up of patients varied across the different centers. 35.1% (14/37) of the centers stated to not perform any screening measures.

CONCLUSION:

Treatment patterns of patients with uveal melanoma in Germany, Austria and Switzerland remain extremely heterogeneous. A guideline for the treatment and surveillance is urgently needed.

• Authors: Theresa Steeb, Anja Wessely, Mareike Alter, Christiane Bayerl, Armin Bender, Guido Bruning, Evelyn Dabrowski, Dirk Debus, Nina Devereux, Edgar Dippel, Konstantin Drexler, Pia Dücker, Reinhard Dummer, Steffen Emmert, Peter Elsner, Alexander Enk, Christoffer Gebhardt, Anja Gesierich, Matthias Goebeler, Sergij Goerdt, Steven Goetze, Ralf Gutzmer, Sebastian Haferkamp, Gesina Hansel, Jessica C Hassel, Lucie Heinzerling, Katharina C Kähler, Kjell M Kaume, Wolfgang Krapf, Nicole Kreuzberg, Percy Lehmann, Elisabeth Livingstone, Harald Löffler, Carmen Loquai, Cornelia Mauch, Johanna Mangana, Friedegund Meier, Markus Meissner, Rose K C Moritz, Lara Valeska Maul, Verena Müller, Peter Mohr, Alexander Navarini, Ahn Van Nguyen, Christiane Pfeiffer, Claudia Pföhler, Christian Posch, Erika Richtig, Rainer Rompel, Michael M Sachse, Stefanie Sauder, Dirk Schadendorf, Kerstin Schatton, Hans-Joachim Schulze, Erwin Schultz, Bastian Schilling, Matthias Schmuth, Jan C Simon, Markus Streit, Patrick Terheyden, Alexander Thiem, Thomas Tüting, Julia Welzel, Gerhard Weyandt, Ulrich Wesselmann, Uwe Wollina, Mirjana Ziemer, Lisa Zimmer, Markus Zutt, Carola Berking, Max Schlaak, Markus V Heppt, German Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group (DeCOG, committee ocular melanoma)
• Journal: Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology (J Cancer Res Clin Oncol) Vol. 147 Issue 6 Pg. 1763-1771 (Jun 2021) ISSN: 1432-1335 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 33219855 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study)

Topics

• Aftercare (methods, statistics & numerical data)
• Austria (epidemiology)
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Follow-Up Studies
• Germany (epidemiology)
• Health Services Needs and Demand (statistics & numerical data)
• Humans
• Mass Screening (methods, statistics & numerical data)
• Melanoma (epidemiology, pathology, therapy)
• Monitoring, Physiologic (methods, statistics & numerical data)
• Neoplasm Metastasis
• Neoplasm Recurrence, Local (epidemiology)
• Population Surveillance (methods)
• Practice Patterns, Physicians' (statistics & numerical data)
• Referral and Consultation (standards, statistics & numerical data)
• Skin Neoplasms (epidemiology, pathology, therapy)
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Switzerland (epidemiology)
• Uveal Neoplasms (epidemiology, pathology, therapy)