Pontikes L A, Temple W J, Cassar S L, Lafrenière R, Huchcroft S A, Jerry L M, Alexander F, Marx L H
Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Am J Surg. 1993 Feb;165(2):225-8. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9610(05)80514-8.
A population-based study of the biology of the thin-level melanoma according to site, Breslow's thickness, and Clark's level was undertaken. Two hundred fifteen patients were studied with a mean follow-up of 41 months. Overall, 23 patients (10.7%) had recurrences, 8 locally, 9 regionally, and 6 systemically, despite an adequate local excision. A multivariate analysis was done. In the patients with thin lesions (less than 1 mm), increasing level (p < 0.002) and head and neck site (p < 0.04) increased the risk of recurrence. Increasing thickness of melanoma up to 1 mm did not influence the risk. This study identifies a group of high-risk melanoma patients for whom adjuvant therapy to decrease recurrences should be studied.
