The National Cancer Data Base report on cutaneous and noncutaneous melanoma: a summary of 84,836 cases from the past decade. The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and the American Cancer Society.
BACKGROUND
This study reviews the case-mix characteristics, management, and outcomes of melanoma cases occuring in the U.S. within the last decade.


METHODS
Analyses of the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) were performed on cases diagnosed between 1985 through 1994. A total of 84,836 cases comprised of cutaneous and noncutaneous melanomas were evaluated.


RESULTS
The percentages of melanomas that were cutaneous, ocular, mucosal, and unknown primaries were 91.2%, 5.2%, 1.3%, and 2.2%, respectively. For cutaneous melanomas, the proportion of patients presenting with American Joint Committee on Cancer Stages 0, I, II, III, and IV were 14.9%, 47.7%, 23.1%, 8.9%, and 5.3%, respectively. Factors associated with decreased survival included more advanced stage at diagnosis, nodular or acral lentiginous histology, increased age, male gender, nonwhite race, and lower income. Multivariate analysis identified stage, histology, gender, age, and income as independent prognostic factors. For ocular melanomas, 85.0% were uveal, 4.8% were conjunctival, and 10.2% occurred at other sites. During the study period, there was a large increase in the proportion of ocular melanoma patients treated with radiation therapy alone. For mucosal melanomas, the distribution of head and neck, female genital tract, anal/rectal, and urinary tract sites was 55.4%, 18.0%, 23.8%, and 2.8%, respectively. Patients with lymph node involvement had a poor prognosis. For unknown primary melanomas, the distribution of metastases as localized to a region or multiple sites at presentation was 43.0% and 57.0%, respectively. Surgical treatment of patients with unknown primary site of the melanoma resulted in better survival compared with no treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of early stage cutaneous melanoma resulted in excellent patient outcomes. In addition to conventional prognostic factors, socioeconomic factors were found to be associated with survival.
Chang
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AE
Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, USA.
Karnell
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LH
Menck
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HR
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003230:Conjunctival Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D019992:Databases as Topic; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000453:epidemiology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007911:Lentigo / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D044469:Racial Groups; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012737:Sex Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D014604:Uveal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology