JLE

European Journal of Dermatology

MENU

Clinicopathologic features of primary cutaneous melanoma: a single centre analysis of a Swiss regional population Volume 25, numéro 2, April 2015

Illustrations


  • Figure 1

Tableaux

Auteurs
1 Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Frauenlobstraße 9-11, 80337 Munich, Germany
2 Department of Dermatology and Allergy, UniversitätsSpital Zürich, Gloriastraße 31, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland
* Reprints

Background: Melanoma is a common type of skin cancer with poor survival in advanced stages. Screening efforts aim to detect and tackle tumors at an early stage. However, regional population-based data at the time of initial diagnosis are sparse. Objectives: To analyse clinical and pathologic tumor characteristics in a Swiss population. Materials and Methods: Melanoma samples diagnosed at a large Swiss academic department were evaluated for demographic, clinical and histopathologic data. Results: We analysed a total of 254 melanoma samples. In situ tumors were more common in females than in males (70.6% vs. 29.4%; p = 0.0032). The acro-lentiginous subtype was more common in in situ compared to invasive tumors (14.7% vs. 5.5%; p = 0.0011). Invasive tumors showed a preference for male gender in patients beyond 60 years of age (p = 0.0080). The most frequent anatomic sites were the trunk in males and the legs in females. Regression was more common in males than in females (35.2% vs. 11.7%; p = 0.0001). Breslow's thickness correlated significantly with age but not with gender. Ulceration was common in tumors thicker than 2.01 mm (48.4%; p = 0.0001). Regression was frequently detected in melanomas thinner than 1.00 mm (29.3%; p = 0.0263). Conclusion: Screening efforts should target elderly patients. Skin examinations should include acral localisations and focus on the trunk in males and the lower extremities in females. Population-based analyses can help to fine-tune melanoma screening in defined regional populations.