Trial reportAnnals of surgical oncology2016
The MELFO-Study: Prospective, Randomized, Clinical Trial for the Evaluation of a Stage-adjusted Reduced Follow-up Schedule in Cutaneous Melanoma Patients-Results after 1 Year.
Trial report in Annals of surgical oncology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- JPOS/JASCC clinical guidelines for psychological distress in adult cancer patients: a summary of recommendations.Japanese journal of clinical oncology · 2026Guideline
- Clinical, humanistic and economic burden associated with recurrence among patients with early-stage cancers: a systematic literature review.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures for advanced skin cancer patients.Archives of dermatological research · 2023Pooled it
- Follow-up strategies following completion of primary cancer treatment in adult cancer survivors.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- The MELFO Study: A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized Clinical Trial on the Effects of a Reduced Stage-Adjusted Follow-Up Schedule on Cutaneous Melanoma IB-IIC Patients-Results After 3 Years.Annals of surgical oncology · 2020Trial
- Review
- Bridging gaps throughout a patient's journey with melanoma: a systematic review.Melanoma management · 2025Review
- Stage IIA Cutaneous Melanoma: Do Regional Ultrasound and CT scan Improve Detection of Relapses? A Multicenter Retrospective Observational Study.Dermatology practical & conceptual · 2024Article
- Patterns of Recurrence of Cutaneous Melanoma: A Literature Review.Dermatology practical & conceptual · 2023Review
- Article
- Longitudinal Relationship between Idylla Plasma ctBRAF V600 Mutation Detection and Tumor Burden in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma.Molecular diagnosis & therapy · 2021Article
- A risk prediction model for the development of subsequent primary melanoma in a population-based cohort.The British journal of dermatology · 2020Article
- Increase of sentinel lymph node melanoma staging in The Netherlands; still room and need for further improvement.Melanoma management · 2020Article
- Development and validation of a nomogram to predict recurrence and melanoma-specific mortality in patients with negative sentinel lymph nodes.The British journal of surgery · 2019Article
- Use of shared care and routine tests in follow-up after treatment for localised cutaneous melanoma.BMC health services research · 2018Article
- Patient Preferences for Follow-up After Recent Excision of a Localized Melanoma.JAMA dermatology · 2018Article
- A Retrospective Analysis of Surveillance Adherence of Patients after Treatment of Primary Cutaneous Melanoma.The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology · 2017Article
- Patterns and Timing of Initial Relapse in Pathologic Stage II Melanoma Patients.Annals of surgical oncology · 2017Article
- Optimal Surveillance Strategies for Early-Stage Cutaneous Melanoma Post Primary Tumor Excision: An Economic Evaluation.MDM policy & practiceArticle
- Surveillance After a Previous Cutaneous Melanoma Diagnosis: A Scoping Review of Melanoma Follow-Up Guidelines.Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgeryArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGuidelines for evidence-based follow-up in melanoma patients are not available. This study examined whether a reduced follow-up schedule affects: patient-reported outcome measures, detection of recurrences, and follow-up costs.
methodsThis multicenter trial included 180 patients treated for AJCC stage IB-II cutaneous melanoma, who were randomized in a conventional follow-up schedule group (CSG, 4 visits first year, n = 93) or experimental follow-up schedule group (ESG, 1-3 visits first year, n = 87). Patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, cancer worry scale, impact of events scale, and a health-related quality of life questionnaire (HRQoL, RAND-36). Physicians registered clinicopathologic features and the number of outpatient clinic visits.
resultsSociodemographic and illness-related characteristics were equal in both groups. After 1-year follow-up, the ESG reported significantly less cancer-related stress response symptoms than the CSG (p = 0.01), and comparable anxiety, mental HRQoL, and cancer-related worry. Mean cancer-related worry and stress response symptoms decreased over time (p < 0.001), whereas mental HRQoL increased over time (p < 0.001) in all melanoma patients. Recurrence rate was 9 % in both groups, mostly patient-detected and not physician-detected (CSG 63 %, ESG 43 %, p = 0.45). Hospital costs of 1-year follow-up were reduced by 45 % in the ESG compared to the CSG.
conclusionsThis study shows that the stage-adjusted, reduced follow-up schedule did not negatively affect melanoma patients' mental well-being and the detection of recurrences compared with conventional follow-up as dictated by the Dutch guideline, at 1 year after diagnosis. Additionally, reduced follow-up was associated with significant hospital cost reduction.
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