Bidirectional association between Parkinson’s Disease and melanoma

Abstract

Objective: To describe the bidirectional association between Parkinson’s disease and melanoma, based on epidemiological, clinical, and biological evidence, in order to understand the shared risk factors, possible linking mechanisms, and clinical outcomes of these conditions. Methods: This is an integrative review following the steps described by Whittemore and Knafl (2005): topic identification, database search (PubMed Central, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and SciELO, from 2017 to 2025), study screening and selection, data extraction, analysis, and synthesis of results. Studies with low reproducibility, single case reports, and opinion articles without empirical evidence were excluded. Results: Evidence shows that individuals with melanoma are at increased risk of developing PD, and vice versa. Genetic and biochemical studies emphasize the role of alpha-synuclein, melanin/neuromelanin metabolism, oxidative stress, and amyloidogenic pathways as molecular links between the disorders. Genes such as DJ-1 and PARKIN have also been implicated in melanoma tumorigenesis. Final considerations: It is concluded that the association between PD and melanoma calls for integrated clinical surveillance. A key limitation is the need for further longitudinal and translational studies to confirm this correlation.