Serum markers lactate dehydrogenase and S100B predict independently disease outcome in melanoma patients with distant metastasis

BACKGROUND: Established prognostic factors are of limited value to predict long-term survival and benefit from metastasectomy in advanced melanoma. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors in patients with distant metastasis. METHODS: We analysed overall survival of 855 institutional melanoma patients with distant metastasis by bivariate Kaplan–Meier survival probabilities and multivariate Cox hazard regression analysis. RESULTS: Serum lactate dehydrogenases (LDH), S100B, the interval between initial diagnosis and occurrence of distant metastasis, the site of distant metastases, and the number of involved distant sites were significant independent prognostic factors in both bivariate and multivariate analyses. Visceral metastases other than lung (hazard ratio (HR) 1.8), elevated S100B (HR 1.7) and elevated LDH (HR 1.6) had the highest negative impact on survival. Complete metastasectomy was likewise an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis. This treatment was associated with favourable survival for patients with normal LDH and S100B values (5-year survival, 37.2%). CONCLUSION: The serum markers LDH and S100B were both found to be prognostic factors in melanoma patients with distant metastasis. Furthermore, complete metastasectomy had an independent favourable prognostic impact in particular for the patient subgroup with normal LDH and S100B values.