| Author/Editor | Hočevar, Marko; Dragonja, Zala; Pilko, Gašper; Gazić, Barbara; Žgajnar, Janez | |
| Title | Residual melanoma after an excisional biopsy is an independent prognostic factor for local recurrence and overall survival | |
| Type | članek | |
| Vol. and No. | Letnik 40, št. 10 | |
| Publication year | 2014 | |
| Volume | str. 1271-1275 | |
| ISSN | 0748-7983 - European journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology | |
| Language | eng | |
| Abstract | The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a residual melanoma after an excisional biopsy on prognosis of patients with cutaneous melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2000 and 2007 sentinel lymph node biopsy with wide reexcision of a primary melanoma site was successfully performed in 692 patients (315 male and 377 female; mean age 55.7 years) at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia. Clinicopathological data of all patients were extracted from a prospective institutional melanoma database and the frequency of local recurrences and survival were compared between patients with residual melanoma and those without it. For a statistical analysis univariate and multivariate analyses were used. RESULTS: Only 25 (3.6%) patients had a residual melanoma. There was no difference in mean tumor thickness (3.9 and 2.8 mm) and ulceration (40% and 34%) of the primary melanoma between patients with and without residual melanoma. However, a number of local recurrences (16% versus 2.7%) and a number of metastases in sentinel lymph nodes (44% versus 22%) were significantly higher and a 5-year survival was significantly lower (64% versus 87.5%) in patients with residual melanoma. Breslow thickness, ulceration, positive SLNB and residual melanoma were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Residual melanoma is very rare after an excisional biopsy of the primary melanoma. However, when present it indicates a higher probability of local recurrence and a worse overall survival. | |
| Keywords | melanom biopsija ponovitve preživetje |