Teaser Text Using a large multi-institutional cohort of thin melanomas (TMs), our study identified that while predictive of improved prognosis in later stage disease, the presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes was associated with poorer outcomes in the TM population. Increasing mitotic rate, Charlson Comorbidity Index, absence of radial growth phase, and self-pay/no insurance were also significantly associated with poorer outcomes, while tumor thickness, historically one of the most important prognostic features, was not independently associated with recurrence or mortality. This study elucidates novel risk factors that could prognosticate recurrence or mortality among TMs and can be used to enable more personalized surveillance and therapeutic strategies.
Beagles et al. (2026) studied this question.