Melanoma of the head and neck

A series of 94 patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma of the head and neck region has been studied. Fifty-three of the patients had regional lymph node dissections performed and the results in 37 performed more than 5 years ago are presented. The policy of elective lymph node dissection for inva...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of surgery 1975-07, Vol.182 (1), p.86-91
Main Authors: Harris, M N, Roses, D F, Culliford, A T, Gumport, S L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Follow-Up Studies
Head
Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology
Humans
Lymph Node Excision
Lymphatic Metastasis
Melanoma - mortality
Melanoma - pathology
Melanoma - surgery
Neck Dissection
New York City
Skin Neoplasms - mortality
Skin Neoplasms - pathology
Skin Neoplasms - surgery
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A series of 94 patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma of the head and neck region has been studied. Fifty-three of the patients had regional lymph node dissections performed and the results in 37 performed more than 5 years ago are presented. The policy of elective lymph node dissection for invasive melanoma of the head and neck is strongly endorsed, although not proven by the data presented in this limited series. Whenever possible, a total excisional biopsy should be performed to establish the diagnosis. It is recommended that all melanomas be classified by the method of Clark and Mihm and that the level of invasion also be determined. There is an appreciable error in the clinical evaluation of lymph nodes for metastases. In general, it is suggested that elective regional lymph node dissections be performed for invasive melanoma (levels III, IV and V). The literature pertaining to cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck has been reviewed and surgical and pathological problems peculiar to lesions of this region are emphasized.
ISSN:0003-4932
1528-1140
DOI:10.1097/00000658-197507000-00016