title: The prognostic significance of histologic regression in cutaneous melanoma.
abstract: A retrospective evaluation of 201 stage I cutaneous melanomas was performed to investigate the prognostic significance of histological regression (present in 67 cases). Thin melanomas showed regression more frequently than thick lesions (48% less than or equal to 0.75 mm vs 12% greater than 3 mm). The mean disease-free interval was 33.53 months in regressing tumours and 19.9 in non-regressing tumours (p = 0.07): differences between the survival curves were not significant (p = 0.61). Metastases developed in 13 (19.40%) patients with regressing tumours and by 40 (29.85%) patients with non-regressing tumours. Although we observed a higher frequency of regression in thin melanomas we could not demonstrate an influence of regression on disease-free interval and survival.
authors.affiliation: Chirurgia Plastica e Ricostruttiva, University of Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brogelli
authors.forename: U M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Reali
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Urso
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis