The importance of anatomic site in prognosis in patients with cutaneous melanoma
J. H. Wong, L. Wanek, L. J. Chang, T. Goradia and D. L. Morton
Department of Surgery, John Wayne Cancer Clinic, UCLA School of Medicine 90024.
To determine the prognostic relevance of the anatomic site of origin of
cutaneous melanoma to survival, we retrospectively analyzed a computerized
database of 3428 patients with stage I and II cutaneous melanoma. Patients
were stratified by the recognized prognostic variables of stage of disease,
Clark's level of invasion of the primary lesion, and the nodal involvement
at the time of lymphadenectomy. Melanoma arising in skin of the upper part
of the back, back of the arms, neck, and scalp (BANS) region occurred more
frequently in male than female patients. There were no statistically
significant differences in the distribution of Clark's level of invasion of
BANS and non-BANS region primary melanomas or in the extent of nodal
involvement in patients with stage II disease. The 5-year actuarial
survival of patients with stage I BANS region melanomas was 87%; stage I
non-BANS, 89%; stage II BANS, 38%; and stage II non-BANS, 69%. The BANS
region appears to have prognostic significance in cutaneous melanoma and,
particularly, in patients with stage II melanoma.
