Clinicopathological characteristics of cutaneous malignant melanoma in patients at a tertiary hospital in Macaronesia. Survival as a function of locoregional prognostic factors per the American Joint Committee on Cancer

• Published in: International journal of dermatology Vol. 57; no. 2; pp. 193 - 201
• Main Authors: Fernández‐de‐Misa Cabrera, Ricardo, González Delgado, Benjamín, Gambra Michel, Luisa E., Casale, Cristian, Lopez Figueroa, Antonio, Uña Gorospe, Jon, Martínez Cedrés, José C., Cabrera Suárez, Miguel A., Garrido Ríos, Sofía, Hernández Hernández, Noelia, Tébar Díaz, Alejandro, Sánchez Barrios, Aitana, Allende Riera, Ana, Perera Molinero, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Atlantic Islands - epidemiology; Background radiation; Cancer; Extremities; Eye Color; Female; Genetics; Hair; Hair Color; Humans; Independent variables; Islands; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Lymph nodes; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Medical prognosis; Melanoma; Melanoma - complications; Melanoma - epidemiology; Melanoma - secondary; Middle Aged; Mitosis; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary - pathology; Patients; Proportional Hazards Models; Radiation measurement; Skin cancer; Skin Neoplasms - complications; Skin Neoplasms - epidemiology; Skin Neoplasms - pathology; Skin Pigmentation; Skin Ulcer - etiology; Spain - epidemiology; Survival; Survival Rate; Tertiary Care Centers; Tumor Burden; Tumors; Ultraviolet radiation; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0011-9059; 1365-4632
• DOI: 10.1111/ijd.13848

Background Despite suffering high ultraviolet radiation levels, few data on malignant melanoma (MM) in Macaronesia are available. Methods Observational study of cutaneous MM cases diagnosed during a period of 12 years at a tertiary hospital in Canary Islands. Results A total of 532 patients (female/male = 1.4) with an average age of 56 years were included; 5% developed more than one MM, and 7% reported family history of MM. Phototype II (43%), dark eyes (41%), and dark hair (41%) predominated. There was a lower frequency of light‐colored hair and eyes in those born in the Canary Islands. The most frequent locations of MM were on the back for men (37%) and on the lower extremities for women (35%). Among the infiltrating tumors (83%), the (median) thickness was 1.07 mm (women, 0.90 mm; men, 1.21 mm). Anatomopathological ulceration (AU) and a mitotic rate ≥1 mitosis/mm2 (HMR) were recorded in 27% of patients. Patients with regional disease constituted 12% of the population. The most common stage was IA (34%). Melanoma‐specific survival (MSSV) decreased significantly with thickness, presence of AU, HMR, and sentinel lymph node disease. These four variables were independent prognostic factors. The five‐year MSSV varied between 100% (stage IA) and 39% (stage IIIC). Conclusions The characteristics of the patients were similar to those published in datasets from continental Europe, although the pigmentary features were darker in those originating from Macaronesia. The prognostic parameters described in the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) independently predict MSSV in our patients.