Brandão FV, Pereira AFJR, Gontijo B, Bittencourt FV. Epidemiological aspects of melanoma at a university hospital dermatology center over a period of 20 years.
An Bras Dermatol 2014;
88:344-53. [PMID:
23793193 PMCID:
PMC3754364 DOI:
10.1590/abd1806-4841.20131855]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2012] [Accepted: 08/07/2012] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The incidence of melanoma has been steadily rising in past decades. Although it
accounts for only 3% of all skin cancers, it is responsible for 75% of deaths.
OBJECTIVE
to describe the epidemiological aspects of melanoma in a university hospital
setting over a period of 20 years.
METHODS
A total of 166 patients were analyzed between January 1990 and January 2010 for
clinical and histological variables and correlations between them. A 5% level of
significance was adopted.
RESULTS
The majority of patients were Caucasians (74%), females (61%), with a mean age at
diagnosis of 55. The predominant histological type was lentigo maligna/lentigo
maligna melanoma (35.7%) and the head and neck was the most affected site (30.7%).
Among non-Caucasians, the acral region was the most affected. Most tumors were in
situ (41.1%). Growth of the lesion was the most frequent complaint (58.1%) and
bleeding was most frequently associated with melanomas with a depth > 4mm.
There were seven deaths (4.2%), with a high risk among men, non-Caucasians and
those under 20 years of age, with a Breslow's depth > 2mm, with lentiginous
acral melanoma and with a history of growth and bleeding.
CONCLUSIONS
Our sample differs from most of the studies in the predominant location (head and
neck), histological type (lentigo maligna/ lentigo maligna melanoma) and a major
risk of death under the age of 20, which could be with a reflex of regional
variation. Broader studies are necessary for validation of the results.
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