Characteristics of study participants (n=63), and clinical characteristics of their melanomas, comparing thinner (n=33) and thicker (n=30) melanomas
| Thinner melanomas (<1 mm Breslow thickness) | Thicker melanomas (>2 mm Breslow thickness) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age at interview | ||
| Mean age±SD (range) | 60.5±14.6 (29–85) | 66.1±15.5 (36–93) |
| Less than 60 years (n=23) | 14 (61%) | 9 (39%) |
| 60 years and over (n=40) | 19 (47%) | 21 (53%) |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 14 (42%) | 17 (58%) |
| Female | 19 (58%) | 13 (42%) |
| Education | ||
| No further education | 21 (64%) | 21 (70%) |
| Further education | 12 (36%) | 9 (30%) |
| Fitzpatrick scale: skin colour* | ||
| Type I (white skin, very fair) | 7 (21%) | 2 (6%) |
| Type II (white skin, fair) | 6 (18%) | 11 (37%) |
| Type III (creamy white, any hair) | 17 (52%) | 16 (53%) |
| Type IV (brown, Mediterranean) | 3 (9%) | 1 (3%) |
| Fitzpatrick scale: skin reaction to sun* | ||
| Type I (always burns, never tans) | 4 (12%) | 3 (10%) |
| Type II (usually burns, tans with difficulty) | 11 (33%) | 10 (33%) |
| Type III (sometimes mild burn, gradually tans) | 10 (30%) | 11 (37%) |
| Type IV (rarely burns, tans easily) | 6 (18%) | 6 (20%) |
| Type V (very rarely burns, tans very easily) | 2 (7%) | 0 |
| Melanoma location | ||
| Head and neck | 6 (18%) | 9 (30%) |
| Trunk† | 9 (27%) | 4 (14%) |
| Upper limb | 10 (30%) | 7 (23%) |
| Lower limb | 8 (24%) | 10 (33%) |
| Melanoma type | ||
| Superficial spreading melanoma (SSM) | 25 (76%) | 10 (33%) |
| Nodular melanoma (NM) | 0 | 10 (33%) |
| Lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) | 7 (21%) | 2 (7%) |
| Others‡ | 1 (3%) | 8 (27%) |
| Melanoma TNM stage | ||
| I§ | 33 (100%) | 0 |
| II¶ | 0 | 23 (77%) |
| III** | 0 | 7 (23%) |
| IV | 0 | 0 |
*Self-reported, not verified in medical records.
†Includes melanomas on the back (thinner 6, 18%; thicker 3, 10%).
‡Thinner: mixed type (SSM and NM)×1; thicker: LMM 2, acral 1, malignant blue naevus 1, unclassified 6.
§Stage IA=27, stage IB=6 (T1–2a, N0, M0).
¶Stage IIA=11, stage IIB=5, stage IIC=7 (T2b–4b, N0, M0).
**Stage IIIA=6, stage IIIB=1 (T1a–4a, N1a–2c, M0).
LMM, lentigo maligna melanomas; NM, nodular melanomas; SSM, superficial spreading melanomas; TNM, TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours (TNM system).