Studies on Melanoma

Pregnancy data have been analyzed in 71 women between the ages of 15 and 39 years, all of whom had proved melanoma. All pregnancies occurring within 1 year before diagnosis and 5 years after diagnosis were noted, and survival of these women was plotted. Thirty patients were pregnant within the 6-year period defined; 31 were not pregnant during this period, and for 10, no history of pregnancy could be obtained. Five-year survival was slightly higher in the pregnant group than in the nonpregnant. Comparing 5-year survival in pregnant and nonpregnant women, with age and stage of disease taken into account, survival was equal in the 2 groups. No deleterious effect of pregnancy on survival of a group of women with melanoma was demonstrated.