title: Desmoplastic malignant melanoma of the palatal alveolar mucosa: sustained disease-free survival after surgery and postoperative radiotherapy.
abstract: Aggressive surgical and radiotherapeutic management of a patient with desmoplastic malignant melanoma arising from the mucosa of the oral cavity has resulted in disease-free survival of more than 2(1/2) years after diagnosis. This case represents only the tenth reported instance of desmoplastic malignant melanoma arising from the oral cavity and only the third for which survival has exceeded 2 years. Details of the clinical, histopathologic, and therapeutic features of the case are provided to augment the paucity of literature available to clinicians managing this rare disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Virginia Hospital Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0058, USA. bkavanag@hsc.vcu.edu
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cardinale
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Kaugars
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001706:Biopsy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008437:Maxilla / Q000601:surgery; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010157:Palatal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D010159:Palate / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant