Prognostic factors analysis of 17,600 melanoma patients: validation of the American Joint Committee on Cancer melanoma staging system

Prognostic value of circulating melanoma cells detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction

PURPOSE

Factors that are predictive of prognosis in patients who are diagnosed with malignant melanoma (MM) are widely awaited. Detection of circulating melanoma cells (CMCs) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has recently been postulated as a possible negative prognostic factor. Two main questions were addressed: first, whether the presence of CMCs, defined as the patient being positive for any of the three markers, had a prognostic role; and second, what the predictive value of each individual marker was.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A consecutive series of 200 melanoma patients observed between January 1997 and December 1997, with stage of disease ranging from I to IV, was analyzed by semiquantitative RT-PCR. Tyrosinase, p97, and MelanA/MART1 were used as markers to CMCs on baseline peripheral blood samples. Progression-free survival (PFS) was used as a unique end point and was described by the product limit method. Multivariable analysis was applied to verify whether the auspicated prognostic value of these markers was independent of the stage of disease, and a subgroup analysis was performed that excluded patients with stage IV disease.

RESULTS

Overall, 32% (64 of 200) of patients progressed, and a median PFS of 52 months in the whole series was observed. The presence of CMCs and the markers individually or combined was predictive of prognosis in the univariate analysis but did not provide additional prognostic information to the stage of disease in multivariable models. In the subgroup analysis of stage (ie, I-III subgroup), similar results were observed.

CONCLUSION

Detection of CMCs in peripheral blood samples at the time of MM diagnosis by semiquantitative RT-PCR does not add any significant predictive value to the stage of disease. Thus, this approach should not be used in clinical practice, and further studies are required to determine its usefulness.

Malignant melanoma in an 8-year-old Caribbean girl: diagnostic criteria and utility of sentinel lymph node biopsy

The incidence of malignant melanoma (MM) is continuing to rise, although childhood MM remains rare. We describe an 8-year-old Afro-Caribbean girl who developed a non pigmented lesion on the tip of her left thumb, which persisted despite treatment in primary care with cryotherapy. At biopsy she was found to have an acquired acral MM. She underwent amputation of the distal phalanx of her thumb, together with positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and subsequent axillary lymph node clearance and adjuvant chemotherapy. MMs are very rare in this age and skin-type group, therefore requiring strict diagnostic criteria. These criteria include the distinction from MM mimics, especially Spitz tumours, and an appropriate use of staging techniques such as SLN biopsy to influence management.

Malignant melanoma: current state of primary and adjuvant treatment

Metastatic malignant melanoma remains a highly lethal disease with an incidence that continues to rise. Management of melanoma includes definitive local, regional and distant control. There is substantial prospective and retrospective data to base the extent of both primary as well as adjuvant therapy. The results of these trials have on occasion been at odds. A critical assessment of the available information pertaining to the adjuvant treatment of cutaneous melanoma is needed. This review provides a critical assessment of the current data that is available to guide both primary resection as well as adjuvant therapy. To date, current trials have shown little promise with nonspecific immunostimulants and cytotoxic chemotherapy. In contrast, dose interferon-alpha2b has been shown to improve relapse-free survival and likely improves melanoma-specific survival as well. Based on the available data, interferon-alpha2b remains the adjuvant therapy of choice for high-risk patients treated outside clinical trials, and the appropriate control arm for clinical trials evaluating new or modified adjuvant regimens.

Margins of excision for cutaneous melanoma of the eyelid skin: the Collaborative Eyelid Skin Melanoma Group Report

PURPOSE

To evaluate the practice patterns among surgeons who treat melanomas of the eyelid skin with respect to margins of excision and to look for possible correlation between margins of excision and the incidence of local and regional recurrence and distant metastasis.

METHODS

A retrospective survey of the members of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery yielded 44 cases. The patients' age, sex, date of diagnosis, histologic classification of melanoma, Breslow thickness, Clark level, location of melanoma, size of margins of excision, and findings of local or regional recurrence or distant metastasis were recorded in each case. Patients were stratified on the basis of margins of excision: </=5 mm; >5 mm but <10 mm; and >/=10 mm. Patients were also stratified by Breslow thickness. A Cox regression model was used to evaluate the predictive value of each factor for recurrence. Main outcome measures were the incidences of local and regional recurrence and distant metastasis as a function of margins of excision and Breslow thickness.

RESULTS

The majority of patients for whom reliable information was available had excision margins of </=5 mm. The Breslow thickness of most of the tumors was </=1 mm. Eleven patients (25%) had local recurrence. Five patients (11%) had regional lymph node metastasis. All patients with regional nodal metastasis were men. Distant metastasis developed in 3 patients (7%)-2 men and 1 woman. The follow-up times ranged from 10 to 108 months (mean, 34 months; median, 21 months). The incidence of local recurrence was higher among patients with melanomas at least 2 mm thick and margins of excision </=5 mm than among patients with melanomas at least 2 mm thick but with margins >/=10 mm, but this difference was not statistically significant because very few patients had melanomas at least 2 mm thick. Breslow thickness was the only statistically significant predictor of local, regional, and distant metastasis. Margins of excision did not have a statistically significant effect on local, regional, or distant recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Breslow thickness is an important prognostic indicator for eyelid skin melanomas. A 5-mm margin of excision may be adequate for thin melanomas of the periocular skin, but because of the small number of patients in this series who had >5-mm margins, a definitive comparison of outcome with larger margins of excision cannot be made. For melanomas >/=2 mm, wider margins of excision may be prudent, and careful surveillance for local and regional recurrence is indicated.

The new melanoma staging system

The new melanoma staging system from The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) is described. This major revision includes new criteria for staging the primary tumor (T), metastatic nodes (N) and distant metastases (M) as well as stage groupings. These criteria more accurately reflect those prognostic features of the primary and metastatic melanoma that correlate with survival outcome. Physicians managing melanoma should use this staging system in their clinical practice and in the conduct of melanoma clinical trials.

Current management of melanoma: benefits of surgical staging and adjuvant therapy

Issues regarding appropriate management of stage I to III melanoma are addressed. Accurate surgical staging is critical to identifying patients who can benefit from therapeutic lymph node dissection and adjuvant therapy. Patients with primary tumors > or = 1 mm thick are appropriate candidates for sentinel lymph node biopsy, and node-positive patients benefit from therapeutic lymphadenectomy. Although the overall survival benefit of high-dose interferon has been questioned, the weight of evidence supports the use of adjuvant therapy in patients with stage IIB and III disease.

Adjuvant immunotherapy with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and interleukin-2 in patients with resected stage III and IV melanoma

Adoptive immunotherapy with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and interleukin (IL)-2 is reasonably effective in the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma. However, theoretically it should be of greater benefit as adjuvant therapy, especially in high-risk stages (resected stages III and IV). In a preliminary study, 25 patients (aged 23-72 years) with stage III-IV melanoma who underwent resection of metachronous metastases were reinfused with TIL cultivated and expanded in vitro with IL-2 from surgically removed metastases. IL-2 (starting dose 12 x 10 IU/m ) was co-administered as a continuous infusion according to West's scheme. A total of 8/22 (36.3%) evaluable patients were disease-free (DF) at a median follow-up of 5 years. DF survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 44% and 37%, respectively, at 2 years, and 52% and 45% at 3 years. The CNS was the only site of disease recurrence in 57% of patients who relapsed. DF patients received a higher median dose of IL-2 than those who progressed (total dose 110 x 10 versus 86 x 10 IU/m, respectively). The progressive reduction in IL-2 dosage allowed all patients to complete treatment without permanent grade 4 toxicity. Analysis of tumor immunosuppression factors in lymphocytes inside the tumor (TCR zeta and epsilon chains, p56, FAS, and FAS-ligand) confirmed that the immunologic potential of TIL, depressed at the time of metastasectomy, was significantly restored after in vitro culture with IL-2. Adoptive immunotherapy with TIL and IL-2 could improve DFS and OS, although further work is required to determine its role in the treatment of patients with high-risk melanoma.

Surgical treatment of malignant melanoma

The surgical management of melanoma has evolved over the last 100 years. when early concepts of lymphatic permeation of the tumors and metastases led surgeons to perform radical operative procedures. Wide excision of primary melanoma is now performed with 1- to 2-cm radial margins, significantly reducing the need for complex plastic closures, skin grafts. and hospital admissions. Although elective lymph node dissection remains controversial as a therapeutic procedure, the development of SL has improved the staging of the regional lymph nodes and diminished the morbidity of lymph node dissection. The role of SL for routine care of melanoma patients remains unknown. Metastasectomy, which is the surgical resection of distant metastases with tumor-free surgical margins, has not been popular for AJCC stage IV patients with multiple metastases, because surgery is considered a local therapy and therefore of little value for management of disseminated disease. Nevertheless, the many reports of long-term survival after resection of distant melanoma metastases to diverse soft tissue and organ sites clearly indicate that this form of cytoreductive surgery can be extremely successful in carefully selected patients. Unlike chemotherapy, complete surgical metastasectomy can rapidly render a patient disease-free with only a short period of postoperative morbidity. Most patients fully recover from the surgical procedure within 6 weeks, returning to most or all activities. The ability to select patients for surgery is based on the development of more sophisticated imaging techniques, which allow better preoperative differentiation of patients with single versus multiple metastases and improve the surgeon's ability to identify and resect multiple metastatic sites. The overall data suggest that patients whose metastases can be completely resected will experience improved overall survival and occasional long-term cure regardless of the metastatic organ site and number of metastases. We believe that increased understanding of the biology of the primary and metastases, dramatic improvement in the accuracy of staging metastatic disease, and better techniques of surgical resection provide the best chance for long-term palliation or cure of melanoma. Cytoreductive surgery should be considered a form of immunotherapy. The long-term clinical benefit of this therapy depends on the patient's immune response to, the surgical reduction in tumor burden: an immune response that controls subclinical micrometastases should optimize postoperative survival.

Prognostic factors in primary cutaneous melanoma

Tumor thickness has historically been the single most important factor in risk assessment for stage I and II melanoma patients. However, it is possible to more accurately determine a patient's prognosis by also using other known prognostic indicators, such as ulceration, vascular invasion, and angiogenesis. A probabilistic approach to risk assessment has implications for the appropriate selection of treatment modalities, such as sentinel lymph node biopsy and re-excision margins. Each patient's risk for recurrence also has implications for which follow-up protocol would be most appropriate for the patient. Finally, those risk factors that repeatedly demonstrate an independent impact on prognosis should be used as stratification factors in adjuvant therapy trials.

Diagnosis and management of stage I/II melanoma

OBJECTIVES

To describe the clinical features and histologic subtypes of cutaneous melanoma; to review the diagnosis, clinical, and pathologic staging of melanoma and the associated prognostic factors; and to review the treatment and management of AJCC stage I and II melanoma.

DATA SOURCES

Scientific and review articles, textbooks, and clinical practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Management of melanoma depends on accurate diagnosis, staging, and interpretation of prognostic factors. The treatment of choice for stage I and II melanoma is surgery, ranging from simple excision to lymph node dissection.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Familiarity with the clinical features of melanoma assists nurses in the screening and early detection of melanoma. Knowledge of AJCC staging guides education regarding treatment and lifelong surveillance.

Sentinel node detection in malignant melanoma patients: radiation safety considerations

BACKGROUND

The surgical management of malignant melanoma necessitates correct sentinel lymph node localization. The highest reported sensitivities are those of lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative gamma-probe detection combined with a vital blue dye technique.

OBJECTIVE

Control of the radiation doses experienced by surgical personnel untrained in the use of unsealed radioactive materials.

METHODS

Sentinel lymph nodes were localized, and biopsies were performed in 25 patients with malignant melanoma. Radiation doses during surgery were determined with energy-compensated silicon pin diode detectors and LiF thermoluminescent ring dosimeters.

RESULTS

In 21 cases (24%), the measured doses were less than 1 microSv, but in 4 operations (16%), 1 to 4.5 microSv was received. The equivalent dose rate was generally less than 1 microSv/h. The finger-absorbed doses for the surgeon and the assistant surgeon were (mean+/-SD) 159+/-23 and 48+/-17 microGy per intervention, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Personal dosimetric survey and limitation of the number of surgical interventions do not appear to be essential.

Patterns of recurrence in patients with melanoma and histologically negative but RT-PCR-positive sentinel lymph nodes

BACKGROUND

We studied the patterns of recurrence of patients with only reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) evidence of regional nodal spread to see whether or not proposed treatment interventions are likely to be effective.

STUDY DESIGN

One hundred seventy-five patients who underwent selective lymphadenectomy for clinical stage I and II melanomas were included in this analysis. We preserved a portion of each sentinel lymph node (SLN) in liquid nitrogen in the operating room and performed RT-PCR on the specimens to detect the melanoma/melanocyte-specific marker tyrosinase. We then compared the pattern of recurrence (regional dermal metastases, regional nodal recurrence, or distant metastatic spread) of the patients with histologically positive SLNs to that of patients who had histologically negative SLNs.

RESULTS

The mean followup time of the 175 patients was 33.83 months (SD = 15.94, median = 34.17, maximum = 62.95, minimum = 6.21). Thirty-four patients had at least one histologically positive SLN, and 17 of these patients had a recurrence (50%). Of the 141 patients that had histologically negative SLNs, 73 had SLNs that were also negative for tyrosinase by RT-PCR, and none of these patients had a recurrence. Of the 68 patients that had histologically negative but RT-PCR-positive SLNs, 14 had a recurrence (20.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

Because the pattern of recurrence of patients with only RT-PCR evidence of melanoma in SLNs was identical to that in patients who had histologically evident melanoma in the SLN and underwent subsequent completion lymphadenectomy, we conclude that completion lymphadenectomy might be ineffective in decreasing the recurrence rate of patients with only RT-PCR evidence of melanoma in SLNs.

Automated melanoma detection: multispectral imaging and neural network approach for classification

Our aim in the present research is to investigate the diagnostic performance of artificial neural networks (ANNs) applied to multispectral images of cutaneous pigmented skin lesions as well as to compare this approach to a standard traditional linear classification method, such as discriminant function analysis. This study involves a series of 534 patients with 573 cutaneous pigmented lesions (132 melanomas and 441 nonmelanoma lesions). Each lesion was analyzed by a telespectrophotometric system (TS) in vivo, before surgery. The system is able to acquire a set of 17 images at selected wavelengths from 400 to 1040 nm. For each wavelength, five lesion descriptors were extracted, related to the criteria of the ABCD (for asymmetry, border, color, and dimension) clinical guide for melanoma diagnosis. These variables were first reduced in dimension by the use of factor analysis techniques and then used as input data in an ANN. Multivariate discriminant analysis (MDA) was also performed on the same dataset. The whole dataset was split into two independent groups: i.e., train (the first 400 cases, 95 melanomas) and verification set (last 173 cases, 37 melanomas). Factor analysis was able to summarize the data structure into ten variables, accounting for at least 90% of the original parameters variance. After proper training, the ANN was able to classify the population with 80% sensitivity, 72% specificity, and 78% sensitivity, 76% specificity for the train and validation set, respectively. Following ROC analysis, area under curve (AUC) was 0.852 (train) and 0.847 (verify). Sensitivity and specificity values obtained by the standard discriminant analysis classifier resulted in a figure of 80% sensitivity, 60% specificity and 76% sensitivity, 57% specificity for the train and validation set, respectively. AUC for MDA was 0.810 and 0.764 for the train and verify set, respectively. Classification results were significantly different between the two methods both for diagnostic scores and model stability, which was worse for MDA.

Survivin, bcl-2, bax, and bcl-X gene expression in sentinel lymph nodes from melanoma patients

PURPOSE

The expression of apoptosis-related genes, such as survivin, bcl-2, bcl-X, and bax, has been evaluated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by immunohistochemistry in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) from melanoma patients and then correlated to the outcome of patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty-six SLNs were examined. After RNA extraction, an RT-PCR followed by Southern blot hybridization was performed to detect survivin, bcl-2, bcl-X, and bax mRNA. bcl-2, survivin, and bax gene expression was evaluated, whenever possible, also by immunohistochemistry at the protein level.

RESULTS

We found a significant correlation (P <.005) between survivin expression and outcome of patients; in fact, 61.5% of patients expressing survivin gene progressed or died because of the disease, whereas 38.5% are currently disease-free. Among patients negative for survivin expression, 100% are disease-free after a median follow-up time of 52.9 months. We did not find a significant correlation between bcl-2, bax, and bcl-X gene expression and outcome of patients. In fact, these genes were found equally expressed in patients with disease progression and in disease-free patients.

CONCLUSION

Our findings show a variable expression of apoptosis-related genes in SLNs of melanoma patients; more interestingly, we found that survivin expression correlates to outcome of patients in a statistically significant way, whereas the expression of other genes, such as bcl-2, bax, and bcl-X, did not seem to correlate to progression of disease. We suggest that the detection of survivin gene expression by RT-PCR in SLNs may be a useful prognostic indicator.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with problematic spitzoid melanocytic lesions: a report on 18 patients

BACKGROUND

Spindle and/or epithelioid melanocytic proliferations that display overlapping histopathologic features of Spitz nevus and Spitz-like melanoma are diagnostically difficult and controversial melanocytic tumors. There are reports of such lesions metastasizing to regional lymph nodes, with a few widely disseminating, resulting in death.

METHODS

The authors reviewed clinical and histopathologic data on all patients with atypical or borderline spitzoid melanocytic proliferations who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). They examined how frequently histologically problematic or borderline spitzoid melanocytic lesions metastasized to sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) and which clinical or histologic features, if any, predisposed patients to a higher risk lesion.

RESULTS

Six male patients and 12 female patients, ages 5-32 years (mean, 16 years), had tumors ranging in size from 1.2 mm to 7.9 mm (mean, 3.5 mm) in thickness. Atypical histologic features that were present most frequently included incomplete maturation (18 of 18 patients), deep dermal mitoses (16 of 18 patients), nuclear pleomorphism (10 of 18 patients), and focal sheet-like growth (10 of 18 patients). Eight of 18 patients (44%) had SLN metastasis and were offered adjuvant treatment. One of eight patients with SLN positive results who underwent regional lymphadenectomy had one additional involved lymph node. All 18 patients were alive and well with no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease after a follow-up of 3-42 months (mean, 12 months).

CONCLUSIONS

Histologically atypical or borderline spitzoid, melanocytic tumors are diagnostically challenging and controversial melanocytic lesions, some of which represent unrecognized melanomas. SLNB aids in confirming a diagnosis of melanoma and identifies patients who may benefit from early therapeutic lymph node dissection and/or adjuvant therapy.

A prognostic model and staging for metastatic uveal melanoma

BACKGROUND

To identify factors that independently contribute to overall survival in Stage IVB uveal melanoma and to subcategorize by prognosis.

METHODS

Data of 91 consecutive patients who died of metastatic uveal melanoma in 1985-2000 were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. Main covariates were participation in annual review, symptoms, Karnofsky index, metastatic burden, liver function tests, and age. Time on chemotherapy was modeled as a confounder. A working formulation for staging patients according to predicted survival was designed.

RESULTS

Of the 91 patients, 85% underwent annual liver imaging and function tests, 63% were asymptomatic, and 73% received chemotherapy. The median survival period was 8.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3-11.8). Karnofsky index, largest dimension of the largest metastasis, metastatic burden, serum transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase (AP) levels, and time on chemotherapy were strongly (P < 0.001) associated with survival. Symptoms (P = 0.031) and regular review (P = 0.081) were weakly associated with survival. Karnofsky index (P = 0.013), the largest dimension of the largest metastasis (P = 0.003), and serum AP level (P = 0.042) retained independent significance, adjusting for time on chemotherapy. Predicted median survival calculated for relevant covariate combinations was divided into three periods (> or =12 months vs. 6-11 months vs. < 6 months). Observed median survival for Stage IVBa was 14.9 months (95% CI, 11.7-21.3), for Stage IVBb 8.9 months (95% CI, 2.7-13.7), and for Stage IVBc 2.0 months (95% CI, 1.0-3.7).

CONCLUSION

The model and working formulation for categorization can be tested as an aid in patient counseling and as a tool in design and analysis of clinical trials.

Relevance of micrometastases detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for melanoma recurrence: systematic review and meta-analysis

CONTEXT

Cutaneous melanoma presents significant morbidity and mortality. Nowadays, about 90% of them are diagnosed by clinical examination and most are localized melanomas. Sentinel node biopsy has brought about a new and interesting approach towards localized cutaneous melanoma. The meaning of micrometastases in sentinel nodes diagnosed by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction is not well established.

OBJECTIVE

To define the real value of micrometastases diagnosed by the reverse transcriptases polymerase chain reaction in relation to melanoma recurrence.

METHODS

Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. The Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase and Lilacs were the databases searched. We used the following key words: sentinel node and melanoma; sentinel node and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction; melanoma and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Cohort studies enrolling localized cutaneous melanoma patients who underwent sentinel node biopsy were selected. Sentinel node evaluations included hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

Out of the 1,542 studies evaluated, four were eligible. The four studies, when combined, were statistically homogeneous. The sample totaled 450 patients grouped as follows: 163 with a sentinel node negative to hematoxylin eosin and immunohistochemistry and positive to the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction; 192 with a sentinel node negative to hematoxylin eosin, immunohistochemistry and the reverse transcriptase-polymerse chain reaction and 95 patients with a sentinel node positive to hematoxylin eosin and/or immunohistochemistry. We analyzed the first two groups. The meta-analysis for the random model showed an increased effect from a positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction on the recurrence rate. A similar result occurred in the meta-analysis for the fixed effect model.

CONCLUSION

Patients with a positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction had a greater recurrence rate than those with a negative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. This suggests an important role for the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in sentinel node examinations. In view of the small sample, a clinical trial could better evaluate this question.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for head and neck melanomas

BACKGROUND

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for head and neck (H&N) melanomas may be more technically challenging compared with other locations because of complex lymphatic drainage patterns. This analysis was performed to compare the results of SLN biopsy for H&N, truncal, and extremity melanomas.

METHODS

The Sunbelt Melanoma Trial includes patients aged 18 to 70 with melanomas > or = 1.0 mm thick. Statistical comparison was performed by chi2 or analysis of variance test.

RESULTS

A total of 2610 patients were evaluated with a median follow-up of 18 months. The mean number of SLN per nodal basin was 2.8, 2.7, and 2.1 for H&N, truncal, and extremity melanomas, respectively. Median Clark level, Breslow thickness, and percentage of ulceration were similar between the groups. Peri-parotid SLN was identified in 25% of cases; there were no facial nerve injuries. SLN biopsy for H&N melanoma had higher false-negative rates at 1.5% (vs. 0.5% for trunk or extremity) but less histologically positive SLN at 15% (vs. 23.4%, and 19.5%; P <.001) compared with truncal and extremity melanoma. Blue dye was visualized less frequently in SLN of H&N melanoma patients compared with those with trunk or extremity melanomas.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and meticulous intraoperative search for blue/radioactive nodes may improve results in H&N melanomas.

Granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor added to a multipeptide vaccine for resected Stage II melanoma

BACKGROUND

Forty-eight patients with resected Stages IIA and IIB melanoma were immunized with two tumor antigen epitope peptides derived from gp100(209-217) (210M) (IMDQVPSFV) and tyrosinase(368-376) (370D) (YMDGTMSQV) emulsified with incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA). Patients were assigned randomly to receive either peptides/IFA alone or with 250 microm of granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) subcutaneously daily for 5 days to evaluate the toxicities and immune responses in either arm. Time to recurrence and survival were secondary end points.

METHODS

Immunizations were administered every 2 weeks x 4, then every 4 weeks x 3, and once 8 weeks later. A leukapheresis to obtain peripheral blood mononuclear cells for immune analyses and skin testing with peptides and recall reagents was performed before and after eight vaccinations.

RESULTS

Local pain and granuloma formation, fever, and lethargy of Grade 1 or 2 were observed. Transient vaccine-related Grade III and no Grade IV toxicity was observed. Seventeen of the 40 patients for whom posttreatment skin tests were performed developed a positive skin test response to the gp100 peptide, but only 1 of the 40 patients developed a positive skin test response to tyrosinase. Immune responses were measured by release of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by effector cells in the presence of peptide-pulsed antigen-presenting cells, by cytokine release of IFN-gamma, GM-CSF, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in a Luminex assay, or by an antigen-specific tetramer flow cytometry assay. Thirty-four of the 39 patients for whom the ELISA data were performed demonstrated an immune response after vaccination, as did 37 of 42 patients by tetramer assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Luminex, and tetramer responses in the GM-CSF/peptide/IFA group were higher than in the peptide/IFA group. Epitope spreading to the MART-1/MelanA 27-35 and 26-35 (27L) epitopes was detected by tetramer assay in 10 patients. Seven of 48 patients experienced disease recurrence with a median of 24 months of follow-up and 2 patients in this intermediate to high risk group have died.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest a significant number of patients with resected melanoma mount an antigen-specific immune response against a peptide vaccine. There is a trend for GM-CSF to modestly increase the immune response and support further development of GM-CSF as a vaccine adjuvant.

Mucosal melanoma of the female genital tract is a multifocal disorder

OBJECTIVE

This is a retrospective analysis of malignant melanoma of the female genital tract, focusing on the high local recurrence rate of this tumor.

METHODS

All women treated for malignant melanoma of the genital tract were identified through the archives of the Hadassah University Hospital. The medical records and the pathological specimens were reviewed and reevaluated.

RESULTS

From 1986 to 2002, nine cases were diagnosed and treated at Hadassah. Seven had vulvar melanoma and two had vaginal melanoma. Sixty-six percent (6/9) of the patients had more than one focus of melanoma, either apparent at their initial diagnosis (3/9) or developed during follow up (3/9). Most of the recurring lesions were melanoma in situ. In one patient multiple nodular melanomas were detected. Atypical melanocytic hyperplasia was found in an otherwise normal mucosa in four patients. Three had experienced multiple recurrences. All patients were treated by radical local excisions with (3/9) or without (6/9) elective groin lymph node dissection. Three patients with locally recurring melanoma within the genital tract required two to five sessions of repeated surgical excisions.

CONCLUSION

It is suggested that melanoma of the genital tract is the result of a multifocal disorder of the melanocytes within the mucosa. The increased local recurrence rate reflects an inherent abnormality of melanocytes. It is not attributed to surgical failure in controlling the disease. Insistent and even radical surgical excision is recommended, especially for patients whose prospects for prolonged survival are improved.

Rational approaches to human cancer immunotherapy

Over most of the 20th century, immunotherapy for cancer was based on empiricism. Interesting phenomena were observed in the areas of cancer, infectious diseases, or transplantation. Inferences were made and extrapolated into new approaches for the treatment of cancer. If tumors regressed, the treatment approaches could be refined further. However, until the appropriate tools and reagents were available, investigators were unable to understand the biology underlying these observations. In the early 1990s, the first human tumor T cell antigens were defined and dendritic cells were discovered to play a pivotal role in antigen presentation. The current era of cancer immunotherapy is one of translational research based on known biology and rationally designed interventions and has led to a rapid expansion of the field. The beginning of the 21st century brings the possibility of a new era of effective cancer immunotherapy, combining rational, immunological treatments with conventional therapies to improve the outcome for patients with cancer.

Genotypic analysis of primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma

Microdissection genotyping was performed on 16 cases of melanoma, including two cutaneous and one lymph node metastases. Three benign nevi were used as controls. Where possible, tumor was microdissected at several sites. Genotyping involved assessment of loss of heterozygosity [LOH]), which was accomplished using a panel of nine polymorphic tetranucleotide microsatellites. Polymerase chain reaction was performed on the normal tissue sample to establish microsatellite heterozygous status. Informative markers were then tested on microdissected lesional tissue and scored for the presence and extent of allelic imbalance (AI). Microsatellite informativeness varied from 33% to 66%. Benign nevi were without AI. All invasive melanomas manifested acquired allelic loss, which involved 75% or 100% of the markers shown to be informative for each subject. Eleven of 13 (84%) primary melanomas demonstrated intratumoral heterogeneity of AI consistent with development of tumor subclones with differing genotypic profiles within thin as well as thick melanomas. Although a consistent pattern did not emerge among the markers, LOH of 9p21 (D9S254) occurred in 60% (9/15) of the cases followed by 40% of cases displaying LOH of 1p34, p53, 10q (MXI1), and 10q23 (D10S520) and 25% with 5q21 (D5S 592) abnormalities. A third of the cases including the metastatic foci demonstrated two different patterns of AI affecting alternative alleles of the same genomic marker within different parts of the melanoma. Two melanomas in situ did not display LOH of any markers in the informative cases although the in situ component in the invasive tumors had allelic losses that were in part similar to the invasive areas. The results of this study support the expanded use of microdissection genotyping and explore other markers to define the unique mutational profile for malignant melanoma that may complement other histologic characteristics of melanoma.

Inhibition of angiogenesis and promotion of melanoma dormancy by vitamin E succinate

BACKGROUND

Relapse of melanoma after surgical treatment remains a significant clinical problem in need of novel therapies. Vitamin E succinate (VES) is a promising antitumor micronutrient. We evaluated the effect of VES on melanoma dormancy and angiogenesis.

METHODS

B16F10 melanoma cells were allografted in mice. The effect of VES on melanoma dormancy was measured by monitoring tumor volume. Tumor vascularity was quantitated with CD31 immunostaining. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor 1, and VEGF receptor 2 in tumors was assessed by the intensity of immunostaining. VES effect on secreted VEGF protein and VEGF promoter activity was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and transient transfection assay, respectively. Significance was determined by analysis of variance.

RESULTS

VES promoted melanoma dormancy (P =.0019) and inhibited melanoma angiogenesis (P <.0001). VES also significantly suppressed the expression of VEGF, VEGF receptor 1, and VEGF receptor 2 in melanoma tumors (P <.0001). Melanoma VEGF secretion (P =.0077) and melanoma VEGF promoter activity (P <.05) were significantly inhibited by VES.

CONCLUSIONS

VES promotes melanoma dormancy and inhibits melanoma angiogenesis. The mechanism of the VES antiangiogenesis effect involves the inhibition of VEGF gene transcription. These findings support future studies of VES in the prevention of melanoma metastasis.

Prognostic importance of lymph node tumor burden in melanoma patients staged by sentinel node biopsy

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between nodal tumor burden and the outcomes of recurrence and survival in sentinel node-positive melanoma patients.

METHODS

We reviewed a series of sentinel node-positive patients with primary cutaneous melanoma treated with completion lymph node dissection (CLND). Microscopic nodal tumor deposits were counted and measured with an ocular micrometer. Various measures of tumor burden and traditional melanoma prognostic indicators were studied in multivariate Cox regression models.

RESULTS

Sentinel lymph node and CLND specimens were evaluated in 90 node-positive patients. The diameter of the largest lymph node tumor nodule and the total lymph node tumor volume were significant predictors of recurrence (two-sided P <.0001 for both) and survival (two-sided P =.0018 and P =.0002, respectively). A tumor deposit diameter of 3 mm was identified as the most significant cut point predictive of recurrence (P <.0001; hazard ratio, 5.18) and survival (P <.0001; hazard ratio, 5.43). The 3-year survival probability was.86 for patients with largest tumor deposit diameters of <or=3 mm and was .27 for patients with largest deposit diameters >3 mm (P <.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Microstaging of melanoma sentinel lymph node/CLND specimens by using the diameter of the largest tumor deposit is a highly significant predictor of early relapse and survival.

Tumour thickness as a predictor of occult lymph node metastases in patients with stage I and II melanoma undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy

BACKGROUND

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a minimally invasive procedure used accurately to stage nodal basins at risk of occult metastases. There are no data as yet to show a survival benefit from SLNB and its use remains controversial. If Breslow thickness of the tumour correlates well with positive SLNB, it could be used to select patients for SLNB.

METHODS

A quantitative systematic review of published studies on SLNB in patients with melanoma available by September 2001 was performed.

RESULTS

Twelve studies containing 4218 patients with stage I and II melanoma were identified; 17.8 (95 per cent confidence interval 16.7 to 19.0) per cent of patients had nodal micrometastases detected by SLNB. The incidence of micrometastasis in sentinel nodes correlated directly with Breslow tumour thickness; it was 1.0 per cent for lesions of less than or equal to 0.75 mm, 8.3 per cent for 0.76-1.50 mm, 22.7 per cent for 1.51-4.0 mm and 35.5 per cent for more than 4.0 mm.

CONCLUSION

The Breslow thickness of primary melanoma predicts the presence of a sentinel node metastasis. The published data are not sufficient to demonstrate a correlation between other known prognostic indicators and a positive SLNB.

New diagnostic techniques in staging in the surgical treatment of cutaneous malignant melanoma

The emphasis of the research on the surgical treatment of melanoma has been on the resection margins, the role of elective lymph node dissection in high risk patients and the value of adjuvant regional treatment with hyperthermic isolated lymph perfusion with melphalan. Parallel to this research, new diagnostic techniques, such as Positron Emission Tomography and the introduction of the sentinel lymph node biopsy with advanced laboratory methods such as immuno-histochemical markers, and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, have been developed to facilitate early detection of metastatic melanoma. The role of these new techniques on the staging and surgical treatment of melanoma is discussed in this paper.

A long-term analysis of 1018 patients with melanoma by classic Cox regression and tree-structured survival analysis at a major referral center: Implications on the future of cancer staging

BACKGROUND

Traditional statistical analysis of 2 surgeons' experiences with resectable malignant melanoma during a 30-year period (November 1970-July 2000) was compared with new tree-structured recursive partitioning regression analysis.

METHODS

A total of 1018 consecutive patients were registered and 983 patients were evaluable. Disease-free survival (DFS) and melanoma survival (MS) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method for stage, thickness, ulceration, site, lymph node involvement, age, sex, and type; and compared with log-rank tests. Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. Multivariate predictors were used to analyze DFS and MS with a classification and regression tree model that partitioned patients into progressively more homogenous prognostic groups with significantly different Kaplan-Meier curves.

RESULTS

Multivariate correlations were with thickness (millimeters), ulceration, age (per year), type, and sex in predicting DFS (relative risk = 1.18, 2.10, 1.05, 1.71, and 1.71, respectively). Thickness, ulceration, age, and type remained significant predictors of MS (relative risk = 1.14, 3.02, 1.02, and 2.30, respectively). Classification and regression tree analysis showed thickness, age, ulceration, and sex affected DFS. Only thickness and ulceration were significant in predicting MS.

CONCLUSION

The Cox model is an important tool for analysis of clinical data but has flaws. New statistical technology to predict outcome should be considered. Classification and regression tree analysis of larger published series may reveal new predictors useful for staging, prognosis, and guiding clinical decisions.

Prolonged survival of patients receiving active immunotherapy with Canvaxin therapeutic polyvalent vaccine after complete resection of melanoma metastatic to regional lymph nodes

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether adjuvant postoperative active specific immunotherapy with a therapeutic polyvalent vaccine (PV) called Canvaxin can prolong survival following complete resection of melanoma metastatic to regional nodes (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] stage III melanoma).

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Despite complete lymphadenectomy, 5-year overall survival (OS) for patients with melanoma metastatic to regional lymph nodes is only 20% to 50%, depending on the number of tumor-involved nodes. In 1984, the authors began phase II trials of Canvaxin PV as postsurgical adjuvant therapy for AJCC stage III melanoma.

METHODS

Patients who received PV between 1984 and 1998 were compared with patients who did not receive PV postsurgical therapy between 1971 and 1998. The seven covariates recently defined by the AJCC Melanoma Staging Committee (number of metastatic nodes, palpable status, ulceration, age, primary site, pT stage, and gender) were included by Cox regression in a multivariate model of OS. A computerized program matched PV and non-PV patients by these covariates.

RESULTS

Of 2,602 patients who underwent complete lymphadenectomy for AJCC stage III melanoma with regional nodal metastases and were followed up by the same team of oncologists between 1971 and 1998, 935 received PV and 1,667 did not. Median OS and 5-year OS were significantly higher in PV than non-PV patients (56.4 vs. 31.9 months and 49% vs. 37%, respectively; P =.0001). When the non-PV patients were matched by the four most significant covariates, 447 matched pairs were formed between patients seen before or after January 1, 1985, and the OS was not different between the two time periods ( P=.789). However, when the PV patients were matched with non-PV patients by six covariates forming 739 pairs, the PV patients survived longer ( P=.0001). Detailed analysis of the 1,505 patients who were seen or who began vaccine therapy within 4 months after lymphadenectomy, and who had more complete data on the seven prognostic covariates showed that median OS and 5-year OS were higher in 445 PV patients than in 1,060 non-PV patients: 70.4 versus 31 months and 52% versus 37%, respectively (P =.0001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified six significant prognostic factors: number of metastatic nodes, size of metastatic nodes, pT stage, ulceration, age, and PV therapy. PV therapy reduced the relative risk of death to 0.64 (95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.76) ( P=.0001); sex and site of primary were of borderline significance.

CONCLUSIONS

This large single-institution study independently confirmed the significance of prognostic covariates in the new AJCC staging system. By using modern statistical methods that controlled for all known prognostic factors, it also demonstrated PV's ability to significantly enhance OS. A multicenter phase III randomized trial is underway to validate the efficacy of PV as a postsurgical adjuvant.

Prognostic factors

The American Joint Committee on Cancer has recently revised the staging system for melanoma. In this article, prognostic factors for melanoma are discussed in order of significance as outlined by the new staging system. In addition, other historically relevant prognostic factors are reviewed. The article concludes with a discussion of new technology, which may aid in the future staging of melanoma patients.

Determination of potential adjuvant systemic therapy benefits for patients with resected cutaneous melanomas

OBJECTIVE

To facilitate both better physician understanding of prognostic information (baseline and with adjuvant interferon) for individual patients who present with resectable melanomas and more informed patient decisions about whether they should receive adjuvant high-dose interferon therapy after resection of primary melanomas.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Baseline survival estimates were derived from a surgical database composed of 17,600 patients with complete clinical, pathologic, and follow-up data. Potential survival benefits ascribed to adjuvant interferon were obtained from results of a meta-analysis of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group studies, which provided evidence for a uniform relative benefit of high-dose interferon across different baseline risk groups. A mathematical formula was then applied to these data to allow for individual prognostic information.

RESULTS

The 5-year survival benefits in patients who received high-dose interferon after surgery, using the assumptions of the provided prognoses and interferon survival improvements, ranged up to 13%.

CONCLUSIONS

These data should allow for a better understanding of baseline prognosis in individual patients and a better understanding of the potential benefits of adjuvant interferon. They should also help patients make more informed decisions regarding their treatment options.

Incidence of and survival from malignant melanoma in Scotland: an epidemiological study

BACKGROUND

We aimed to assess the incidence and survival for all patients with invasive primary cutaneous malignant melanoma diagnosed in Scotland, UK, during 1979-98.

METHODS

The Scottish Melanoma Group obtained data for 8830 patients (3301 male and 5529 female) first diagnosed with invasive cutaneous malignant melanoma.

FINDINGS

Age-standardised incidence rose from 3.5 in 1979 to 10.6 per 10(5) population in 1998 for men, and from 7.0 to 13.1 for women, a rise of 303% and 187%, respectively. After 1995, the rate of increase levelled in women younger than 65 years at diagnosis. Melanoma incidence increased most in men on the trunk, head, and neck and in women on the leg. 5-year survival rose from 58% to 80% for men diagnosed in 1979 and 1993, respectively, and from 74% to 85% for women; improvements of 38% (p<0.001) and 15% (p<0.001), respectively. Most improvement was attributable to a higher proportion of thinner tumours. Male mortality from melanoma was 1.9/10(5) population per year at the start and end of the study, whereas mortality for men younger than 65 years at diagnosis rose from 1.2 to 1.35 (p=0.24). For all women, mortality fell slightly from 1.9 to 1.85/10(5) population per year (p=0.61), whereas for women younger than 65 years at diagnosis, mortality fell from 1.3 to 1.15 (p=0.62).

INTERPRETATION

Interventions aimed at both primary and secondary prevention of melanoma are justified. Specialist tumour registers for entire countries can be used to plan and monitor public health interventions.

The revised American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for melanoma

Substantial progress has been made in identifying the most significant clinical and pathologic characteristics of melanoma that predict for metastasis and survival. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for cutaneous melanoma was recently revised to include these prognostic variables. Major changes in the staging include: (1) melanoma thickness and ulceration but not level of invasion will be used in the T category (except for T1 melanomas); (2) the number of metastatic lymph nodes rather than their gross dimensions and the delineation of clinically occult (ie, "microscopic") versus clinically apparent (ie, "macroscopic") nodal metastases will be used in the N category; (3) the site of distant metastases and the presence of elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) will be used in the M category; (4) all patients with stage I, II, or III disease will be upstaged when a primary melanoma is ulcerated; (5) satellite metastases around a primary melanoma and in-transit metastases will be merged into a single staging entity that is grouped into stage III disease; and (6) distinct definitions for clinical and pathologic staging will take into account the new staging information gained from intraoperative lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy.

Surgical techniques of melanoma and sentinel node biopsy

The adequacy of surgical treatment of melanoma patients is the most important milestone in the natural history of the disease, once the diagnosis has been confirmed. Surgery plays a fundamental role in the initial stages of the disease, ie, to remove the primary lesion and to excise accurately the locoregional metastases. On the contrary, the impact of a surgical indication to treat distant metastases has never been confirmed in a prospective study; thus, there are no standard guidelines and it represents a decision to be discussed with each individual patient.

Multivariate prognostic model for patients with thick cutaneous melanoma: importance of sentinel lymph node status

BACKGROUND

The overall prognosis of patients with thick cutaneous melanoma (TCM) is generally thought to be poor. Surgically staging these patients with sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy remains controversial. This study was performed to determine whether SLN status improved our ability to predict outcome over other known prognostic factors and to develop a model incorporating independent prognostic factors to estimate the risk of recurrence for an individual patient.

METHODS

A prospective database identified patients with TCM (>4.0 mm or Clark level V) and clinically negative nodes who underwent SLN biopsy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

RESULTS

From 1991 to 2001, 126 patients were identified; 75 (60%) were male. The median age was 60 years. The median tumor thickness was 5.5 mm, and 43% were ulcerated. Thirty percent of patients had a positive SLN. Recurrence was seen in 50 patients (40%). Median follow-up, relapse-free survival, and overall survival were 25, 50, and 68 months, respectively. Factors independently predictive of recurrence were age >/=60 years, depth >5.5 mm, ulceration, and SLN positivity. SLN status was the most significant prognostic factor (P <.001). The relative risk of recurrence for an individual patient ranged from 1 in patients for whom no adverse factors were present to 29.4 when all factors were present.

CONCLUSIONS

SLN status was the strongest independent predictor of outcome in patients with TCM. However, patients with TCM are prognostically heterogeneous, and all independently predictive factors should be considered when an individual patient's risk of recurrence is assessed.

Pathologic staging of melanoma

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) recently launched a new staging system for cutaneous melanoma that was based on clinical experience with a large number of patients treated in major centers worldwide. As this system includes various histopathologic parameters of the primary melanoma and of melanoma metastasis, including micrometastases in the sentinel lymph node (SLN), they are discussed here. Special attention is given to ulceration of the primary tumor, because it remains a dominant prognostic parameter in addition to tumor thickness. Molecular markers that may reflect aggressive behavior of the primary melanoma also are described. Finally, pathologic examination of SLNs is addressed with emphasis on the efficacy of various microstaging approaches.

Prognostic factors for malignant melanoma of the squamous mucosa of the head and neck

Primary malignant melanomas of the squamous mucosa of the head and neck are rare. To learn more about the prognostic significance of various histologic parameters we examined the pathologic features of squamous mucosa from 40 patients seen at a single institution and correlated them with clinical outcome. Follow-up information was available on 37 patients. Thirty-five were treated with surgical resection and two were treated with radiotherapy. Twenty-six were dead at follow-up. Twenty-one of them died of disease. The interval between diagnosis and death ranged from 1 month to 16.5 years (median survival, 2.4 years). Eleven patients were alive at 4 months to 19.5 years after the diagnosis: six of them with disease and five of them free of disease (mean follow-up, 3.5 years). Predictors of poor survival by univariate analysis were the presence of vascular invasion (overall survival, p = 0.007; disease-specific survival, p = 0.01), a polymorphous tumor cell population (overall survival, p = 0.007; disease-specific survival, p = 0.008), and necrosis (overall survival, p = 0.007; disease-specific survival, p = 0.056). However, because these three parameters were associated with each other, none of them remained of independent predictive value for outcome by multivariate analysis. No prognostic significance was found for tumor thickness, level of invasion, ulceration, mitotic index, or nerve/nerve sheath involvement. Thus, the histologic parameters relevant for the prognosis of squamous mucosa differ significantly from those of cutaneous melanomas.

Metastatic pathways and time courses in the orderly progression of cutaneous melanoma

BACKGROUND

It is known that two-thirds of patients who develop clinical metastases following treatment of a primary cutaneous melanoma initially present with locoregional metastases and one-third initially present with distant metastases. However, few reports in the literature give detailed figures on different metastatic pathways in cutaneous melanoma.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to perform a detailed analysis of the different metastatic pathways, the time course of the development of metastases and the factors influencing them.

METHODS

In a series of 3001 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma at first presentation, 466 subsequently developed metastasis and were followed-up over the long term at the University of Tuebingen, Germany between 1976 and 1996. Different pathways of metastatic spread were traced. Associated risk factors for the different pathways were assessed. Differences in survival probabilities were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and evaluated by the log-rank test.

RESULTS

In 50.2% of the patients the first metastasis after treatment of the primary tumour developed in the regional lymph nodes. In the remaining half of the patient sample the first metastasis developed in the lymphatic drainage area in front of the regional lymph nodes, as satellite or in-transit metastases (21.7%) or as direct distant metastases (28.1%). Anatomical location, sex and tumour thickness were significant risk factors for the development of metastasis by different pathways. The most important risk factor appeared to be the location of the primary tumour. The median intervals elapsing before the first metastasis differed significantly between the different metastatic pathways. The direct distant metastases became manifest after a median period of 25 months, thus later than the direct regional lymph node metastases (median latency period, 16 months) and the direct satellite and in-transit metastases (median latency period, 17 months). In patients who developed distant metastases the period of development was independent of the metastatic route. The time at which the distant metastases developed was roughly the same (between 24 and 30 months after the detection of the primary tumour), irrespective of whether satellite or in-transit metastases, lymph node metastases or distant metastases were the first to occur.

CONCLUSIONS

The time course of the development of distant metastasis was more or less the same irrespective of the metastatic pathway; this suggests that in patients with in-transit or satellite metastasis or regional lymph node metastasis, haematogenic metastatic spread had already taken place. Thus, the diagnostic value of sentinel lymph node biopsy and the therapeutic benefit of elective lymph node dissection may be limited, as satellite and in-transit metastases or direct distant metastases will not be detected and haematogenous spread may already have taken place when the intervention is performed.

Long-term survival in 2,505 patients with melanoma with regional lymph node metastasis

OBJECTIVE

To examine the long-term outcomes of patients with melanoma metastatic to regional lymph nodes.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Regional lymph node metastasis is a major determinant of outcome for patients with melanoma, and the presence of regional lymph node metastasis has been commonly used as an indication for systemic, often intensive, adjuvant therapy. However, the risk of recurrence varies greatly within this heterogeneous group of patients.

METHODS

Database review identified 2,505 patients, referred to the Duke University Melanoma Clinic between 1970 and 1998, with histologic confirmation of regional lymph node metastasis before clinical evidence of distant metastasis and with documentation of full lymph node dissection. Recurrence and survival after lymph node dissection were analyzed.

RESULTS

Estimated overall survival rates at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years were 43%, 35%, 28%, and 23%, respectively. This population included 792 actual 5-year survivors, 350 10-year survivors, and 137 15-year survivors. The number of positive lymph nodes was the most powerful predictor of both overall survival and recurrence-free survival; 5-year overall survival rates ranged from 53% for one positive node to 25% for greater than four nodes. Primary tumor ulceration and thickness were also powerful predictors of both overall and recurrence-free survival in multivariate analyses. The most common site of first recurrence after lymph node dissection was distant (44% of all patients).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with regional lymph node metastasis can enjoy significant long-term survival after lymph node dissection. Therefore, aggressive surgical therapy of regional lymph node metastases is warranted, and each individual's risk of recurrence should be weighed against the potential risks of adjuvant therapy.