TY - JOUR
T1 - Patterns of care and follow-up care of patients with uveal melanoma in German-speaking countries: a multinational survey of the German Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group (DeCOG)
AU - on behalf of the German Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group (DeCOG, committee ocular melanoma)
AU - Steeb, Theresa
AU - Wessely, Anja
AU - Alter, Mareike
AU - Bayerl, Christiane
AU - Bender, Armin
AU - Bruning, Guido
AU - Dabrowski, Evelyn
AU - Debus, Dirk
AU - Devereux, Nina
AU - Dippel, Edgar
AU - Drexler, Konstantin
AU - Dücker, Pia
AU - Dummer, Reinhard
AU - Emmert, Steffen
AU - Elsner, Peter
AU - Enk, Alexander
AU - Gebhardt, Christoffer
AU - Gesierich, Anja
AU - Goebeler, Matthias
AU - Goerdt, Sergij
AU - Goetze, Steven
AU - Gutzmer, Ralf
AU - Haferkamp, Sebastian
AU - Hansel, Gesina
AU - Hassel, Jessica C.
AU - Heinzerling, Lucie
AU - Kähler, Katharina C.
AU - Kaume, Kjell M.
AU - Krapf, Wolfgang
AU - Kreuzberg, Nicole
AU - Lehmann, Percy
AU - Livingstone, Elisabeth
AU - Löffler, Harald
AU - Loquai, Carmen
AU - Mauch, Cornelia
AU - Mangana, Johanna
AU - Meier, Friedegund
AU - Meissner, Markus
AU - Moritz, Rose K.C.
AU - Maul, Lara Valeska
AU - Müller, Verena
AU - Mohr, Peter
AU - Navarini, Alexander
AU - Van Nguyen, Ahn
AU - Pfeiffer, Christiane
AU - Pföhler, Claudia
AU - Posch, Christian
AU - Richtig, Erika
AU - Rompel, Rainer
AU - Terheyden, Patrick
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Purpose: Uveal melanoma (UM) is an orphan cancer of high unmet medical need. Current patterns of care and surveillance remain unclear as they are situated in an interdisciplinary setting. Methods: A questionnaire addressing the patterns of care and surveillance in the management of patients with uveal melanoma was distributed to 70 skin cancer centers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Frequency distributions of responses for each item of the questionnaire were calculated. Results: 44 of 70 (62.9%) skin cancer centers completed the questionnaire. Thirty-nine hospitals were located in Germany (88.6%), three in Switzerland (6.8%) and two in Austria (4.5%). The majority (68.2%) represented university hospitals. Most patients with metastatic disease were treated in certified skin cancer centers (70.7%, 29/41). Besides, the majority of patients with UM were referred to the respective skin cancer center by ophthalmologists (87.2%, 34/39). Treatment and organization of follow-up of patients varied across the different centers. 35.1% (14/37) of the centers stated to not perform any screening measures. Conclusion: Treatment patterns of patients with uveal melanoma in Germany, Austria and Switzerland remain extremely heterogeneous. A guideline for the treatment and surveillance is urgently needed.
AB - Purpose: Uveal melanoma (UM) is an orphan cancer of high unmet medical need. Current patterns of care and surveillance remain unclear as they are situated in an interdisciplinary setting. Methods: A questionnaire addressing the patterns of care and surveillance in the management of patients with uveal melanoma was distributed to 70 skin cancer centers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Frequency distributions of responses for each item of the questionnaire were calculated. Results: 44 of 70 (62.9%) skin cancer centers completed the questionnaire. Thirty-nine hospitals were located in Germany (88.6%), three in Switzerland (6.8%) and two in Austria (4.5%). The majority (68.2%) represented university hospitals. Most patients with metastatic disease were treated in certified skin cancer centers (70.7%, 29/41). Besides, the majority of patients with UM were referred to the respective skin cancer center by ophthalmologists (87.2%, 34/39). Treatment and organization of follow-up of patients varied across the different centers. 35.1% (14/37) of the centers stated to not perform any screening measures. Conclusion: Treatment patterns of patients with uveal melanoma in Germany, Austria and Switzerland remain extremely heterogeneous. A guideline for the treatment and surveillance is urgently needed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096393031&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00432-020-03450-0
DO - 10.1007/s00432-020-03450-0
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 33219855
AN - SCOPUS:85096393031
SN - 0171-5216
VL - 147
SP - 1763
EP - 1771
JO - Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
JF - Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
IS - 6
ER -