Introduction and objectives:

this study describes the demographic, clinical, and histopathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with melanoma at the Academic Dermatology Unit of the Hospital de Clínicas between 2016 and 2021. It also examines how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced diagnoses and disease staging.

Materials and methods:

a descriptive, observational, and retrospective study was conducted based on the medical records of patients with a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma. Prevalent cases treated at the unit that met the inclusion criteria were included.

Results:

A total of 41 patients were included, 61% of whom were men. The mean age was 64 years. Superficial spreading melanoma was the most common subtype, and the trunk was the predominant location. Regarding tumor staging, 41.5% had localized disease, 29.3% had melanoma in situ, 9.8% had regional metastases, and 19.5% had distant metastases. Additionally, 87.5% of patients with distant metastases were men. The mean Breslow thickness was 3.4 mm, being higher in men. During the pandemic, an increase in advanced cases and a delay in early diagnoses were observed.

Conclusions:

men were more frequently diagnosed at advanced stages, a situation that worsened during the pandemic. These findings highlight the need to implement more effective prevention campaigns and educational programs to promote early detection, which could significantly improve patient prognosis and survival.

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