title: Mucosal melanoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mucosal melanomas of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are rare and do poorly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients treated from 1981 to 1993 at a single referral center were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen patients underwent surgical resection, with seven receiving postoperative radiotherapy. Eight had microscopically negative margins. The actuarial 2-year and 5-year survivals for this group of 13 were 67% (8 of 12) and 20% (2 of 10). The local recurrence rate was 85% (11 of 13) and distant metastases occurred in 31% (4 of 13) patients. In the absence of metastatic disease, resection of recurrent tumor correlated with disease-free intervals ranging from 3 months to 40 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Those who received postoperative radiotherapy appeared to have done better with increased disease-free intervals and prolonged survival. Negative surgical margins were not predictive of a more favorable outcome. Surgical resection followed by postoperative radiotherapy is appropriate and resection of recurrent tumor should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0342, USA.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Kingdom
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009296:Nasal Cavity; D009297:Nasal Mucosa; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate