Lentigo maligna melanoma of the head and neck.
Historically, lentigo maligna melanoma has been considered a "favorable" histological type of melanoma, and treatment by wide local excision was considered curative. A retrospective multivariate analysis of 143 head and neck patients with stage I lentigo maligna melanoma was performed from a database of 1067 head and neck patients followed at Duke Medical Center. Fifty-six percent of all lentigo maligna melanomas presented with lesions deeper than 0.76 mm, and 8% presented with stage II or III disease. Recurrent disease occurred in 45% of stage I patients, with a 5-year disease-free interval of 6 years and a median survival time of 10 years. Multivariate analysis demonstrated no significant difference in disease-free interval or survival by histological subtype. The data suggest that treatment should be based on tumor thickness and not histologic subtype.
Langford
F P
FP
Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Fisher
S R
SR
Molter
D W
DW
Seigler
H F
HF
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate