Survival and glycemic control in patients with coexisting melanoma and diabetes mellitus

AIM: Given the lack of data in the literature, we examined the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on melanoma survival and the impact of melanoma on glycemic control. MATERIALS & METHODS: Patients with melanoma with and without DM were matched 1:1 (2005–2016). Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to estimate overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS). Mixed models compared hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) and glucose measures over time. RESULTS: Mean HbA(1c) during the year after cancer diagnosis was 6.7%. The 5-year PFS rate was 89% (95% CI: 81–99%) for patients with DM and 63% (95% CI: 51–79%) for patients without DM (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Melanoma did not adversely impact glycemic control. The DM did not adversely impact survival of patients with melanoma, although increased PFS for melanoma was seen in individuals with DM.