In a nutshell
The authors analyzed the patterns of survival and recurrence in patients with scalp (the skin covering the head but not the face) melanoma.
Some background
Head and neck skin melanomas occur in less than 20% of all cases. It is associated with worse outcome than melanoma of other body parts. Scalp melanoma is part of head and neck melanoma. It may account for higher deaths among head and neck melanoma patients. There has been very little information on patterns of recurrence or survival in scalp melanoma specifically.
Scalp melanoma may represent a subcategory of melanoma deserving special clinical consideration.
Methods & findings
The authors aimed to assess the patterns of survival and failure in scalp melanoma.
250 patients with scalp melanoma were included in this study. The melanoma of these patients had not spread to other body parts, but in some patients had spread to the local lymph nodes or neck. Overall survival (time from treatment until death from any cause), control of melanoma on the scalp (no tumor growth), survival without disease spread (metastasis-free) and cancer-free survival were evaluated.
In stage 1 (very thin melanomas at the skin) patients, 5-year overall survival was 86%. The 5-year disease control rate was 92%. The 5-year metastasis-free survival was 92%.
In stage 2 (thicker melanomas that have not spread) patients, the 5-year overall survival was 57%. The 5-year disease control rate was 75%. 65% of patients had 5-year metastasis-free survival.
In stage 3 (thicker melanomas that have spread to the lymph nodes) patients, the 5-year overall survival was 45%. The 5-year disease control rate was 63%. The 5-year metastasis-free survival was 45%.
Overall, 74 patients had return of the cancer. Of these, 31% had relapse in scalp and 47% had the cancer spread to distant parts.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that stage 3 patients experienced higher rates of failure. They also indicated that additional whole-body therapy might be beneficial for these patients.
What’s next?
Discuss your stage and treatment options with your physician.
Published By :
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Date :
Dec 24, 2013
