title: Malignant melanoma of the vulva FIGO stage I: Evaluation of prognostic factors in 43 patients with emphasis on DNA ploidy and surgical treatment.
abstract: Forty-three cases of malignant melanoma of the vulva FIGO stage I, primary treated from 1956 to 1987, have been reviewed. Initial surgery was local excision in 14 patients, vulvectomy in 14, and radical vulvectomy with inguinal lymph node dissection in 15. Recurrent disease was seen in 27 (63%) patients. The 5-year corrected survival was 63%; 10-year survival was 52%. Independent prognostic factors for disease-free and long-term survival were angioinvasion and DNA nondiploidy. Tumor thickness was of prognostic importance in univariate analysis, but did not obtain independent significance. Initial surgical modality did not influence long-term survival, but affected disease-free survival significantly. Local excision carried the greatest risk of local recurrence, but in some of these patients secondary surgery was successful. Because radical surgery did not improve long-term prognosis, wider local excision or vulvectomy seems to be the recommended surgical approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Olso, Norway.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheistrøen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tropé
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaern
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Abeler
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Pettersen
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Kristensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011003:Ploidies; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm