Cutaneous malignant melanoma treated by Mohs surgery. Review of the treatment results of 179 cases from the Mohs Melanoma Registry.
BACKGROUND
There has been much debate regarding the efficacy of the Mohs chemosurgery fixed-tissue technique vs the fresh-tissue technique in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma.


OBJECTIVE
To review the treatment results of the 179 cases of melanoma registered with the Mohs melanoma tumor registry from 1981 to 1991, accumulated from nine referring Mohs surgeons.


METHODS
Review of the two treatment techniques using a case presentation format. There were 113 cases treated by the hybrid fixed-tissue technique and 61 cases treated by the fresh-tissue technique. The data compared technique of treatment vs degree of invasion by both Clark level and Breslow thickness determinations. Analysis of the data using Kaplan-Meier graph.


RESULTS
Five-year survival data for melanomas treated by either the fresh-tissue or fixed-tissue method appear concordant.


CONCLUSIONS
For thin and intermediate melanoma thicknesses treatment by either method appears to be equally efficacious. For deep melanomas, the number of cases were insufficient to evaluate. Further study of this high-risk category is warranted.
Snow
S N
SN
Department of Surgery, Mohs Surgery Clinic, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison 53805-0902, USA.
Mohs
F E
FE
Oriba
H A
HA
Dudley
C M
CM
Leverson
G
G
Hetzer
M
M
D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015580:Mohs Surgery / Q000379:methods; D012042:Registries; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D016896:Treatment Outcome