Retrospective study on the cutaneous head and neck melanoma in Dorset (UK).

Trends in the incidence and the sites of primary malignant melanoma on the skin of head and neck in Dorset as well as the outcome of treated cases were overviewed for the first time. Increase in incidence rate of cutaneous head and neck melanoma from 1.3 per 100,000 in 2004 to 3.1 per 100,000 in 2007 was recorded. The most prevalent histogenetic type of cutaneous malignant melanoma on head and neck in our study was melanoma of superficial spreading type 35.1% (n=20) of all registered cases. Superficial spreading melanoma apart from being the most common type of malignant melanoma of the head and neck in Dorset also showed increase in the number of diagnosed cases of the reviewed years. It increased from 2 (22.2%) of all head and neck melanoma cases in 2004 to 7 (30.4%) in 2007. The average age at the time of diagnosis the cutaneous malignant melanoma of head and neck for both men and women was 73.5 years. Breslow thickness, Clark's level of invasion, tumour ulceration and anatomical site remained the most important prognostic factors. Correlation between Breslow thickness and Clark's level of invasion found to be stronger in men.