In spite of the good
prognosis of
patients with early-stage
melanoma, there is a substantial proportion of them that develop local or distant
relapses. With the introduction of targeted and immune
therapies for advanced
melanoma, including at the adjuvant setting, early
detection of recurrent
melanoma and/or second primary lesions is crucial to improve clinical outcomes. However, there is a lack of universal guidelines regarding both frequency of
surveillance visits and
diagnostic imaging and/or
laboratory evaluations. In this article, a multidisciplinary expert panel recommends, after careful
review of relevant data in the field, a
consensus- and experience-based follow-up strategy for
melanoma patients, taking into account
prognostic factors and
biomarkers and the high-
risk periods and patterns of
recurrence in each (sub) stage of the
disease. Apart from the
surveillance intensity,
healthcare professionals should focus on
patients
education to perform regular
self-examinations of the
skin and
palpation of
lymph nodes. (AU)