title: The role of parotidectomy in the treatment of cutaneous head and neck melanoma.
abstract: Sixty-five patients with melanoma underwent parotidectomy as part of the initial treatment. Clinical evaluation of the parotid nodal status was inaccurate. Patients with parotid nodal metastases had a significantly decreased survival at 5 years, 22 percent compared with 67 percent in the patients with uninvolved nodes. Distant metastasis was the first indication of treatment failure in most of the patients with parotid involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Spiro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*