Pathology Department, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Anatomic and Molecular Pathology Department, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos State, Nigeria.
West Afr J Med. 2022 Jun 24;39(6):623-627.
Malignant melanoma (MM) is the most lethal of all cutaneous malignancies, accounting for about 79% of skin cancer related deaths. In blacks, it is associated with greater morbidity and mortality compared to Caucasians. Breslow thickness and ulceration status are two of the most important histopathologic prognostic factors in MM. No study on MM in Nigeria has however examined these factors.
Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks and corresponding Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained slides of all confirmed cases of MM from January 2005 to December 2014 in the AMP Department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) were retrieved.
Fifty-two MM cases were histologically diagnosed in LUTH during the study period which represented 1.0% of total solid malignancies. Forty-three of these occurred in the skin accounting for 19.7% of all skin malignancies and making MM the 3rd commonest skin malignancy after squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and kaposi sarcoma (KS). Eighty eight percent (88%) of the tumour were in Clark's stage IV and V while 84% had Breslow thickness >4mm. Ulceration was present in 67%. The Clark's level and Breslow thickness were correlated with the ulceration status of the tumour. There is significant correlation between the Breslow thickness and ulceration with p-value < 0.05 while there is no significant association between the Clark's level and ulceration.
MM constituted a significant proportion of skin malignancy in LUTH and majority of the cases present at an advanced stage. Breslow thickness and ulceration statuses of the tumour are important histopathologic parameters that should be reported in all MM biopsies.
恶性黑色素瘤（MM）是所有皮肤恶性肿瘤中最致命的一种，占皮肤癌相关死亡人数的 79%左右。在黑人中，与白人相比，发病率和死亡率更高。Breslow 厚度和溃疡状态是 MM 最重要的组织病理学预后因素之一。然而，在尼日利亚，尚无关于 MM 的研究检查这些因素。
检索了 2005 年 1 月至 2014 年 12 月期间在拉各斯大学教学医院（LUTH） AMP 部门确诊的所有 MM 的福尔马林固定石蜡包埋（FFPE）组织块和相应的苏木精和伊红（H＆E）染色切片。
在研究期间，LUTH 共诊断出 52 例 MM 病例，占所有实体恶性肿瘤的 1.0%。其中 43 例发生在皮肤上，占所有皮肤恶性肿瘤的 19.7%，使 MM 成为继鳞状细胞癌（SCC）和卡波西肉瘤（KS）之后的第三大常见皮肤恶性肿瘤。88%（88%）的肿瘤处于 Clark's 第 IV 和第 V 期，84%的肿瘤 Breslow 厚度>4mm。67%的肿瘤存在溃疡。Clark's 分级和 Breslow 厚度与肿瘤的溃疡状态相关。Breslow 厚度和溃疡与 p 值<0.05 之间存在显著相关性，而 Clark's 分级与溃疡之间无显著相关性。
MM 在 LUTH 构成了皮肤恶性肿瘤的重要比例，且大多数病例处于晚期。肿瘤的 Breslow 厚度和溃疡状态是所有 MM 活检中应报告的重要组织病理学参数。
