Association of BRAF V600E Status of Incident Melanoma and Risk for a Second Primary Malignancy: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Mutations of the BRAF oncogene occur in both melanomas and several other cancers. Our objective was to determine if mutant BRAF V600E expression in a population-based cohort of patients with melanoma was associated with the development of a second primary malignancy of any type. Using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project, we retrospectively identified 380 patients aged 18 to 60 years who were diagnosed with an incident melanoma from 1970 through 2009. We reviewed individual medical records to identify second primary malignancies. We evaluated mutant BRAF V600E expression from available melanoma tissue specimens and assessed its association with the development of a second primary malignancy. BRAF V600E expression in melanomas is associated with an increased risk for basal cell carcinoma (BCC).