Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma: A 7-Year Retrospective Study (2011-2017)

Abstract

Introduction: Malignant melanoma is a very aggressive cutaneous neoplasm, with an increasing incidence in the last years. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted through the analysis of patient’s files diagnosed with cutaneous malignant melanoma between 2011 and 2017. Epidemiological, clinical and histopathological characteristics were analyzed and compared with a previous study from this institution (1999 to 2009). Results: Cutaneous malignant melanoma was diagnosed in 163 patients, 59.5% female and 40.5% male, with a mean age of 65.6 years. The most frequent anatomical location in men was the trunk, while in women it was the leg. The most common subtype of cutaneous malignant melanoma was the superficial spreading, followed by the lentigo maligna and the nodular. The majority of the cases were invasive cutaneous malignant melanoma (67.5%) in opposition to cutaneous malignant melanoma in situ (32.5%). The mean Breslow index was 3.01 mm. It is important to note the increase in the patient’s number with cutaneous malignant melanoma, given that in the previous study only 129 cases had been diagnosed. Conclusion: Our data are in agreement with literature, regarding the patient's age group, and the predominant anatomic location and subtype of cutaneous malignant melanoma. There was an increase in the number of cases located in the head and trunk compared to the lower limbs. Despite the efforts to detect cutaneous malignant melanoma, earlier diagnosis could not counterbalance the global risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma, as we still observe many cases, predominantly invasive and thick.