Researchers identified an 8% 5-year risk for secondary primary melanoma in a cohort of patients with melanoma and confirmed the utility of total body photography and digital dermatoscopic documentation in follow-up visits.

The cohort included 977 patients with recently diagnosed primary cutaneous melanoma of any stage who underwent clinical and dermatoscopic examinations for up to 5 years. The male-female ratio was 1.1:1, and mean patient age at baseline was 54.69 years; 77.4% of patients had invasive melanoma and 22.6% had in situ melanoma. Invasive melanomas had a mean Breslow thickness of 1.92 ± 1.55 mm.