ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2026
Recurrence Patterns and Survival Outcomes in Clinical Stage IIB/IIC Melanoma: Can We Stratify Patients for Consideration of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy?
Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Missed Opportunities for Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in Melanoma: Is it Time to Consider Ultrasound Staging for Newly Diagnosed Patients?Annals of surgical oncology · 2026Article
- Review
- Ultra-High-Frequency Ultrasound of Melanoma Excision Scars for Detection of Clinically Occult Local Recurrence: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2026Article
- ASO Author Reflections: Recurrence Patterns and Survival Outcomes in Clinical Stage IIB/IIC Melanoma: Can We Stratify Patients for Consideration of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy?Annals of surgical oncology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInterest in evaluating neoadjuvant immunotherapy for stage IIB/IIC melanoma is growing, but studies assessing long-term outcomes generally report data based on pathologic stage after sentinel lymph node microstaging. This study therefore aimed to characterize real-world recurrence patterns and survival specifically in clinical stage IIB/IIC melanoma to contextualize outcomes for selection of patients to undergo neoadjuvant immunotherapy.
methodsThis single-institution retrospective cohort study included patients who received a diagnosis of American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth-edition clinical stage IIB/IIC cutaneous melanoma from 2006 to 2019. Factors associated with recurrence were analyzed using univariable analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), melanoma-specific survival (MSS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.
resultsThe inclusion criteria were met by 229 patients, of whom 152 (66%) were male and 208 (91%) were white. The median follow-up time was 64 months (interquartile range [IQR] 29-105 months). Overall, 101 (44%) patients experienced a recurrence, with a median time-to-recurrence of 15.3 months (IQR 8-31 months). The estimated 2-year RFS, MSS, and OS were 69%, 91%, and 87%, respectively. The presence of pre-surgical lymphovascular invasion (hazard ratio [HR] 1.764; p = 0.018) was associated with increased risk of recurrence.
conclusionThis single-institution retrospective cohort study of patients with clinical stage IIB/IIC melanoma found a 2-year RFS of 69%. The presence of pre-surgical lymphovascular invasion was significantly associated with recurrence in this population. These data can help guide clinicians and researchers in the design and assessment of future studies evaluating neoadjuvant therapy in clinical stage IIB/IIC melanoma and in optimizing patient selection.
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