Patient age and cutaneous malignant melanoma: Elderly patients are likely to have more aggressive histological features and poorer survival

Patient age has been reported as a highly significant and strong predictor of the outcome in patients with cutaneous melanoma. The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical significance of patient age in Turkish patients with cutaneous melanoma. A total of 1,169 patients with pathologically proven cutaneous melanoma were enrolled. Age of patients was classified as young (= 60 years). The median age of the patients was 51 years (range, 16-104 years). Non-superficial spreading histology was significantly more observed in old patients than in the other age groups (P= 60 years may be associated with more aggressive histological features and poorer outcome in patients with cutaneous melanoma

Mitotic rate in node-positive stage III melanoma: it might be as important a prognostic factor as node number.

Background: Stage III melanoma is a heterogenous disease, and the number of tumor-involved lymph nodes is the most significantly unfavorable prognostic indicator for relapse and outcome. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible effects of the various clinicopathological factors on the course of node-positive stage III disease

Digital clubbing as a first clinical presentation of pulmonary metastases in cutaneous melanoma

Digital clubbing is a paraneoplastic phenomenon usually associated with non-small cell lung cancer. We report the development of clubbing in a 49-year old man diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma which had metastasized to the lungs. We also reviewed the literature to understand the association between metastatic melanoma and clubbing. Previous reports of melanoma associated with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) are extremely rare; only 7 cases. In all these patients digital clubbing was the main component of the HOA. However, our patient developed digital clubbing in the absence of other features of HOA. Therefore, to our knowledge, our report is the first in the literature. In conclusion, it should be kept in mind that digital clubbing might be associated with metastatic melanoma to the lung, notwithstanding rarely, and successful treatment of the underlying disease is associated with rapid resolution of the clubbing, as occurs in most patients with paraneoplastic syndromes

Unknown Primary Metastatic Melanoma Presented with Extensive Subcutaneous Masses and Lymph Node Enlargements

Either metastatic disease or unknown primary origin in melanoma patients is rarely encountered at admission in clinical practice. Furthermore, a patient with minimal visceral organ involvement but presenting with extensive subcutaneous and lymph node enlargements is extremely rare. We have presented such an interesting case with these uncommon characteristics

Limb melanomas: acral melanomas have worse survival.

Background The anatomic site of primary melanoma is significantly correlated with survival, and extremity melanomas have better prognosis than trunk or head and neck melanomas. Aim The aim of this study was to review and evaluate the prognostic factors and survival outcomes associated with both upper and lower extremity melanomas. Methods A total of 524 limb-located melanomas were analyzed retrospectively. Results Lower extremity melanomas were predominant in number and feet/toes melanomas were more frequently found in the elderly. Acral lentiginous melanomas were found to affect more frequently lower limbs and showed mainly distal distributions for both limbs. However, acral melanomas were more often ulcerated and they were more frequently BRAF wild-type melanomas associated with significant lymphovascular invasion. Foot and toe melanomas relapsed more frequently than leg melanomas. The 5-year overall survival rates for upper and lower limbs were the same, 62%. The finger (p = .0001) and toe (p = .005) melanomas had worse overall survivals than arm and leg melanomas, respectively. Both overall and disease-free survivals of acral melanoma patients were found worse than those of nonacral melanoma patients, p = .0001 and p = .001 respectively. Despite not having adjusted by Breslow, ulceration and nodal involvement status, acral location per se could be associated with poorer outcome in our retrospective study. Conclusion Even though they were not found to be correlated with major predictors of poor prognosis, acral melanomas significantly predict poor survival

Palpebral cutaneous melanomas: a review of 17 cases from a tertiary center

Background Melanomas arising from eyelid skin are exceptionally rare, accounting for Patients and methods Seventeen Caucasian patients diagnosed with eyelid cutaneous melanoma were analyzed retrospectively. Results The median age of patients was 59 years, and females were predominant (n = 11). The most frequent localization of the lesions was the lower eyelid (n = 8). Nodular (n = 4), lentigo maligna (n = 3), and the superficial spreading melanoma (n = 3) were the most common histopathological subtypes. Only three patients had in situ melanomas. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were present in most of the patients; however, only a few cases had lymphovascular invasion. Regional lymph node involvement was present in two patients, and distant metastasis was found in only one patient. Four patients (24%) had disease relapses during follow-up, all of which were locoregional. The median relapse-free survival (RFS) time and 5-year RFS rate were 26.3 months and 60.4%, respectively. Two patients (12%) died. Median OS time was 32.1 months, and 5-year OS rate was 84%. Being elderly (older than 60 years of age) (P = 0.05), lesion originating from canthus compared to eyelid (P = 0.03) and presence of recurrence in follow-up (P = 0.04) have been found as poor prognostic indicators for OS. Conclusion Palpebral skin melanoma is associated with favorable clinical features, and it is correlated with better survival rates