Primary localization and tumor thickness as prognostic factors of survival in patients with mucosal melanoma.
BACKGROUND
Data on survival with mucosal melanoma and on prognostic factors of are scarce. It is still unclear if the disease course allows for mucosal melanoma to be treated as primary cutaneous melanoma or if differences in overall survival patterns require adapted therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, this investigation is the first to present 10-year survival rates for mucosal melanomas of different anatomical localizations.


METHODS
116 cases from Sep 10 1984 until Feb 15 2011 retrieved from the Comprehensive Cancer Center and of the Central Register of the German Dermatologic Society databases in Tübingen were included in our analysis. We recorded anatomical location and tumor thickness, and estimated overall survival at 2, 5 and 10 years and the mean overall survival time. Survival times were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test was used to compare survival times by localizations and by T-stages.


RESULTS
We found a median overall survival time of 80.9 months, with an overall 2-year survival of 71.7%, 5-year survival of 55.8% and 10-year survival of 38.3%. The 10-year survival rates for patients with T1, T2, T3 or T4 stage tumors were 100.0%, 77.9%, 66.3% and 10.6% respectively. 10-year survival of patients with melanomas of the vulva was 64.5% in comparison to 22.3% of patients with non-vulva mucosal melanomas.


CONCLUSIONS
Survival times differed significantly between patients with melanomas of the vulva compared to the rest (p = 0.0006). It also depends on T-stage at the time of diagnosis (p < 0.0001).
Department of Dermatology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany; Medical Directorate, UniversitätsSpital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Tarun
T
Mehra
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Gerd
G
Grözinger
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Steven
S
Mann
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Emmanuella
E
Guenova
Medical Directorate, UniversitätsSpital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Rudolf
R
Moos
Department of Dermatology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Martin
M
Röcken
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Claus Detlef
CD
Claussen
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Reinhard
R
Dummer
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Stephan
S
Clasen
Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Applied Biometry, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Aline
A
Naumann
Department of Dermatology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Claus
C
Garbe
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult