title: Preliminary Suggestion about Staging of Anorectal Malignant Melanoma May Be Used to Predict Prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anorectal malignant melanomas (AMM) are rare and have poor survival. The study aims to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of patients with AMM, and to devise a staging system predictive of survival outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study of 28 patients diagnosed with, and treated for AMM. Patients classified by clinical staging of mucosal melanoma (MM) were reclassified via rectal and anal TNM staging. Survival outcomes were compared among patients grouped by the three different staging systems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The three staging systems were equated with similar figures for 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) of patients diagnosed with stage I disease. Patients (n=19) diagnosed with MM stage II disease were reclassified by rectal TNM staging into three subgroups: IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC. For these patients, both 5-year OS and 5-year DFS differed significantly between the subgroups IIIA and IIIC (OS: IIIA vs. IIIC, 66.7% vs. 0%, p=0.002; DFS: IIIA vs. IIIC, 51.4% vs. 0%, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The accuracy of prognosis in patients diagnosed with AMM and lymph node metastasis has improved by using rectal TNM staging, which includes information regarding the number of lymph node metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Young
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea ; Department of Surgery, Institute for Innovative Cancer Research, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Lyul
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute for Innovative Cancer Research, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea ; Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Hyung
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Sik
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea ; Department of Surgery, Institute for Innovative Cancer Research, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Cheon
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001005:Anus Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: Anus canal; Melanoma; Neoplasm staging; Rectum