The prognosis of skin carcinoma and malignant melanoma with special reference to their extents as represented in terms of T, N, and M of union internationale contre le cancer (UICC).
The prognosis of skin carcinoma and malignant melanoma was studied statistically. One hundred and one cases of basal cell epithelioma (BCE), 93 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and 34 cases of malignant melanoma (MM) were studied. No cases of death due to basal cell epithelioma were found. The squamous cell carcinomas and malignant melanomas were classified according to the TNM system into three classes with different prognoses. The first class represents the initial stage, in which cure is expected if treatment is adequate. The second class is the intermediate stage, in which cure is uncertain and the prognosis depends upon the degree of extension. The third class is the late stage, in which distant metastasis is found and in which cure might not be anticipated. Furthermore, the prognosis of previously treated cases was poorer than that of untreated cases. Our findings indicate that early diagnosis and appropriate treatment in the initial stage results in the best prognosis and that the success or failure of the initial treatment has an appreciable influence on the prognosis of skin malignancy.
Imai
S
S
Department of Dermatology, University of Tokyo.
D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015996:Survival Rate