Purpose
We evaluated prognostic factors among young patients with early stage melanoma, with particular attention to survival, recurrence, and development of a second primary melanoma.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed patients (age <22 years) with pathologically confirmed in-situ and stage 1 non-Spitzoid melanoma treated at our institution from 1980–2010, assessing demographics, clinical presentation, treatment, disease-specific survival, recurrence-free survival, and probability of developing a second primary melanoma.
Results
One hundred patients with in-situ melanoma (n=16) or stage 1A (n=48) or 1B (n=36) melanoma were identified. Median age was 19.4 years (range, 11.2–21.9), and median followup was 7.6 years (range, 0.1–31.7). Median tumor thickness was 0.76 mm (range, 0.23–2.0). No lesions were ulcerated. All patients underwent wide local excision with negative margins, and 21 had a concomitant negative sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Sixteen patients developed recurrences, and 8 subsequently died of progressive melanoma. There were 2 non-melanoma-related deaths. Endpoints were 20-year overall survival (77.4%), melanoma-specific mortality (20.1%), recurrence rate (34.0%), and probability of developing a second primary melanoma (24.7%). Greater tumor depth and Clark level were associated with worse prognosis, but age, sex, and tumor mitotic rate were not correlated with recurrence or survival.
Conclusion
Among younger early-stage melanoma patients, greater lesion depth conferred higher recurrence risk and mortality. Our data did not define the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in this group.