title: Clinical and morphological characteristics of cutaneous melanoma.
abstract: The incidence of cutaneous melanoma has increased significantly worldwide over the last several decades. The aim of this study is to determine clinical and morphology characteristics of primary melanoma, since some of them are important prognostic factors. This retrospective study included 172 patients. The data were collected by the Consulting team for malignant skin tumors in the Banja Luka Clinical Centre from 2009 to 2011. We did not use dermoscopy as a diagnostic tool in our investigation. We determined that melanoma occurs equally commonly in both sexes, in women in the sixth decade and the seventh in men. The most common sub-type was nodular melanoma (59.5%, P<0.05), followed by superficial spreading (27.8%) and acral lentiginous melanoma (11.4%). The most common localization was on the back in men (34.3%) and on the legs in women (P<0.05). More than half of our patients (55.8%) had melanoma thickness from 1.0 to 4.0 mm, and 38% had a melanoma thicker than 4.0 mm. The average Breslow thickness is 4.6 mm. More women than men had melanoma thicker than 4 mm (P<0.05). Spread of the primary tumor localization was found in 31.4% of patients, more frequently in men than in women (P<0.05). In most cases it was abstraction of lymph nodes (P<0.05). The average thickness of the melanoma in our patients is much higher than the average in the world and the countries of Europe. The results of this study indicate a need for better unique regional registry in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina and improvement of preventive measures in the early diagnosis of melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Jagoda Balaban, MD, PhD Department of Dermatovenerology, Banja Luka Clinical Centre, 12 beba bb 78000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina; jagoda.balaban@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Jagoda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Balaban
authors.forename: Djuka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ninković Baroš
authors.forename: Dragana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grujić
authors.forename: Dragana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Starović
authors.forename: Milanka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ćelić
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*