Thickness and Diameter in Melanoma: Is There a Relation?

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the relationship between diameter and Breslow's thickness in skin melanoma.

Methods

2,071 skin melanomas incident in the area of activity of the Tuscany Cancer Registry (central Italy) were analyzed. Pearson's linear correlation coefficient r was computed between diameter and Breslow's thickness.

Results

There was a statistically significant, but rather small, correlation between diameter and Breslow (r = 0.39). The same was true for men and women, for older and younger patients, and for skin subsites. 22.3% of the examined skin melanomas had a diameter ≤6 mm.

Conclusions

There was a statistically significant, but small, correlation between Breslow's thickness and diameter in skin melanomas. Moreover, a non-negligible proportion of small lesions were thick and/or nodular.