Changes in survival with clinical stage I malignant melanoma

✍ Scribed by C. P. Karakousis; Dr. S. Kachrimanidis; U. Rao; L. J. Emrich

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 363 KB
• Volume: 34
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-4790
• DOI: 10.1002/jso.2930340304

✦ Synopsis

Inclusion of patients referred to our cancer center following recurrence, by retracing the history and characteristics of these patients back to when they were in stage I, produced a bias that lowered the estimated diseasefree survival rates. However, taking into consideration only patients referred and managed in our center when they had clinical stage I melanoma, significant differences in disease-free survival over time were revealed (P = 0.03). Thus, the estimated five-year disease-free survival rate for 86 patients treated in the period 1971-75 was 65%, whereas that from 115 patients treated in the period 1976-80 was 81 % . There was no significant increase in disease-free survival for patients who had an elective node dissection in addition to wide excision.