Malignant melanoma: significance of disease-free interval.
One hundred and six patients dying of malignant melanoma have been studied to test alternative explanations of long disease-free intervals following primary excision. The time intervals from excision to relapse with local, lymphatic-borne or blood-borne recurrences do not correlate with the subsequent survival of the patient. If the experimental technique is valid, it supports the hypothesis that a long latent interval following primary excision represents a variable period of growth restraint followed by reactivation of disease rather than a period of continuous tumour growth throughout the disease-free interval.
D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors