title: Primary mucosal malignant melanoma of the head and neck.
abstract: Diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of 40 patients with malignant melanoma of the mucous membranes, treated at one hospital from 1971 to 2006, were evaluated in a retrospective study. The survival rate was compared with that established by the German-Austrian-Swiss Study Group on Tumors of the Head and Neck (DÖSAK) for 121 cases. The cumulated 5-year survival rate amounting to 33% (DÖSAK study 35%) emphasizes the unfavorable prognosis of this tumor. Age, sex, or tumor location had no significant impact on a patient's survival. A modified surgical concept has been developed for the treatment of the primary tumor and its lymphatic drainage area to maintain a patient's quality of life. The entire tumor should be resected under histologic control ensuring a 5-mm safety margin of healthy tissue. Bone should only be resected if invaded by the tumor. Large resections of the upper or lower jaw should be avoided. A neck dissection does not improve the prognosis and should be performed only in the case of histologically confirmed invasion of lymph nodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, Fachklinik Hornheide, Westfälische Wilhelms University of Münster, Münster, Germany. andreas.borst@fachklinik-hornheide.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borst
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schwipper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult