Parkinson Disease and Increased Melanoma Risk

An association between Parkinson disease (PD) and melanoma has long been suspected, but whether the link is related to the disease or to the medications for PD is unknown. This distinction is important, because a suspected link between a drug and melanoma often leads to the cessation of an effective treatment. These authors conducted a 31-center, North American study of possible links between PD therapy and melanoma.

In all, 2106 adults with idiopathic PD completed the study according to the protocol, which included skin examination by a dermatologist, documentation of risk factors, and sampling of clinically suspicious lesions. More than 90% of these patients were taking or had taken PD drugs, and most (84%) had taken levodopa. About 3% had…