Mortality and morbidity after initial diagnostic excision biopsy of cutaneous melanoma in primary versus secondary care.

BACKGROUND Current UK melanoma guidelines do not support the initial diagnostic excision biopsy of pigmented lesions in primary care, although this is standard in other countries such as Australia. Previous research in Northeast Scotland found that initial diagnostic excision biopsies in primary care that prove to be melanoma were no more likely to be incomplete than those performed in secondary care, but data on longer-term outcomes were not available. AIM To determine whether initial diagnostic excision biopsy of cutaneous melanoma in primary versus secondary care leads to poorer survival and increased morbidity. DESIGN AND SETTING Analysis of a linked dataset comprising pathological data from melanoma cases diagnosed in Northeast Scotland between 1991 and 2007, the General Registry Office (Scotland) death registry, and an NHS Scotland episode of care database. METHOD Patient data from three sources were matched using the Community Health Index (CHI) number. Cox proportional hazards regression, with robust standard error estimates, was used to examine the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of key mortality and morbidity outcomes based on excision in primary versus secondary care. Analysis was conducted before and after adjustment for operator and patient-level factors, using a multilevel approach. RESULTS Patients receiving their initial diagnostic excision biopsy for melanoma in primary versus secondary care were no more likely to be dead, or to have died of metastatic malignant melanoma. Patients who had their initial diagnostic excision biopsy for melanoma in primary care had significantly fewer subsequent hospital admissions and spent fewer days in hospital. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that initial diagnostic excision biopsy of melanoma in primary care does not lead to poorer long-term outcomes.