title: Incidence and outcome of head and neck mucosal melanoma--a population-based survey from Northern Finland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize incidence, clinical characteristics and outcome of head and neck mucosal melanoma in a recent, population-based patient series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based, descriptive study with patients diagnosed in Northern Finland between 1983 and 2001. Age-adjusted incidence rates standardised to the world population and 2-, 5- and 10-year survival rates were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen patients were identified, yielding an age-adjusted incidence rate of 0.08 per 100000 per year. Almost 90% of the patients presented with localized (stage I) disease. Despite that, 13 patients died during the follow-up, 10 of them because of melanoma. The median survival time after diagnosis was 46 months. Five-year actuarial survival rate was 37% and the 5-year disease-specific survival rate 56%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prognosis of head and neck mucosal melanoma remains poor, despite favourable stage distribution at presentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kanta-Hame Central Hospital, Hameenlinna, Finland. heikki.teppo@khshp.fi
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Teppo
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kervinen
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koivunen
authors.forename: Olli-Pekka
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Alho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome