[Prognostic factors of localized malignant melanoma: study of 639 patients].
OBJECTIVE
Several clinical and histological prognostic factors have been identified in localized melanoma. However, further studies with better defined and more reproducible histological parameters are needed. Our aim was to identify the prognostic factors for survival in cutaneous melanoma in the Spanish population.


METHODS
Six hundred and thirty nine patients with localized melanoma, stages I and II of the last version of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for cutaneous melanoma, with 2 years of follow-up or documented relapse, were selected from the database of the Department of Dermatology. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed for overall and disease free survival.


RESULTS
Tumor thickness appeared as the most important prognostic factor for both overall and disease free survival in the multivariate analysis. Inflammatory infiltrate and sex were only significant for overall survival, and location, age and ulceration were significant for disease free survival. Other variables, such as histological type, mitotic rate or level of invasion, lost their prognostic significance in the multivariate analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Tumor thickness is the most important prognostic factor to predict survival in localized melanoma. Other factors such as sex, inflammatory infiltrate, location, age or ulceration, have also an important role in prognosis.
Nagore Enguídanos
Eduardo
E
Servicio de Dermatología, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain. eduyame@meditex.es
Oliver Martínez
Vicente
V
Botella Estrada
Rafael
R
Insa Mollá
Amelia
A
Fortea Baixauli
José Miguel
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate