Loco-regional renewal of malignant skin melanomas. II. Regional lymph node metastases and regional recurrence.
The strategy of surgical therapy to treat regional disease in melanoma remains still controversial. The author analyzed 154 of 183 melanoma patients, who could be studied for the usefulness of surgery directed against regional tumour spread. Radical tumour excision combined with elective lymph node dissection (E+eRND) in medium or high risk tumour patients was found superior to therapeutic dissection (tRND) inasmuch 5-year-survival rates were significantly different (p < 0.001). Life expectancy seemed to be further impaired when postdissectional renewal appeared following tRND (5-year-survival rates 31.8 per cent --> 12.7 per cent) or tRND was incomplete.
1st Department of Surgery, University Medical School of Pécs, Hungary.
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D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000601:surgery; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery