Background: No standardized, evidence-based surveillance practices exist to guide and optimize recurrence detection in patients with cutaneous melanoma.
Objective: To determine the most high-yield positive review of systems for signaling recurrence in patients with cutaneous melanoma.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study assessed patients with a history of cutaneous melanoma and compared demographic and clinical characteristics, including a comprehensive review of systems, among those who experienced recurrence and those who did not.
Results: A high-yield positive review of systems associated with cutaneous melanoma recurrence can be remembered using the mnemonic "ATLAS": Appetite change, Tiredness, Lymph node enlargement, Abdominal pain, and Shortness of breath LIMITATIONS: Retrospective design, limited sample size, and variability in follow-up time between recurrent and nonrecurrent cohorts.
Conclusion: Any treating physician using this model may have a greater opportunity to detect recurrent cutaneous melanoma and improve outcomes while limiting cost and morbidity.
Keywords: dermatology; melanoma; oncology; recurrence; review of systems; surveillance.
Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.