Download PDF
CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2014; 41(02): 122-125
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2014.41.2.122
Original Article

Effect of Biopsy Technique on the Survival Rate of Malignant Melanoma Patients

Yutaro Yamashita  
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Ichiro Hashimoto  
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Yoshiro Abe
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Takuya Seike
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Katsumasa Okawa
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Yuichi Senzaki
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Kazutoshi Murao
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Yoshiaki Kubo
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
,
Hideki Nakanishi
Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dermatology, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
   Permissions and Reprints

Background Cutaneous malignant melanoma has a poor prognosis. The detrimental effect of incisional biopsies on the outcome of malignant melanoma has been debated. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the presence and type of biopsy on the prognosis of malignant melanoma.

Methods The medical records of 109 malignant melanoma patients treated at Tokushima University Hospital from 1983 to 2007 were reviewed. After excluding 28 cases with stage 0 disease or incomplete data, 81 cases were analyzed in detail with respect to patient sex, age, tumor site, clinical stage at diagnosis, presence of ulceration or lymph node metastasis, and prognosis. The five-year survival and five-year disease-free survival rates of patients who underwent incisional or excisional biopsies were compared with those who did not undergo a biopsy.

Results The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.19. The mean age was 61.3 years (range, 19-93 years). The most common site was a lower extremity, and the most common clinical stage was stage II. No significant differences in clinicopathological features, five-year survival rates, and five-year disease-free survival rates were observed among the three groups.

Conclusions The presence and type of biopsy neither affected the metastatic rate nor the prognosis of malignant melanoma. The use of incisional biopsies is not encouraged because tumor thickness cannot be measured accurately. However, they may be helpful for confirming the diagnosis if an excisional biopsy cannot be performed.

Keywords

Melanoma - Prognosis - Survival rate

*The first two authors have contributed equally to this work.




Publication History

Received: 14 October 2013

Accepted: 03 January 2014

Article published online:
02 May 2022

© 2014. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

  • REFERENCES

  • 1 Ishihara K, Saida T, Otsuka F. et al. Statistical profiles of malignant melanoma and other skin cancers in Japan: 2007 update. Int J Clin Oncol 2008; 13: 33-41
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Karjalainen S, Hakulinen T. Survival and prognostic factors of patients with skin melanoma: a regression-model analysis based on nationwide cancer registry data. Cancer 1988; 62: 2274-2280
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Leiter U, Buettner PG, Eigentler TK. et al. Hazard rates for recurrent and secondary cutaneous melanoma: an analysis of 33,384 patients in the German Central Malignant Melanoma Registry. J Am Acad Dermatol 2012; 66: 37-45
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Sobin LH, Gospodarowicz MK, Wittekind CH. TNM classification of malignant tumours. 7th ed. New York: Wiley-Blackwell; 2009
    Google Scholar
  • 5 Rampen FH, van Houten WA, Jop WC. Incisional procedures and prognosis in malignant melanoma. Clin Exp Dermatol 1980; 5: 313-320
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Austin JR, Byers RM, Brown WD. et al. Influence of biopsy on the prognosis of cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck. Head Neck 1996; 18: 107-117
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Lederman JS, Sober AJ. Does biopsy type influence survival in clinical stage I cutaneous melanoma?. J Am Acad Dermatol 1985; 13: 983-987
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Lees VC, Briggs JC. Effect of initial biopsy procedure on prognosis in Stage 1 invasive cutaneous malignant melanoma: review of 1086 patients. Br J Surg 1991; 78: 1108-1110
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Bong JL, Herd RM, Hunter JA. Incisional biopsy and melanoma prognosis. J Am Acad Dermatol 2002; 46: 690-694
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Hofer SO, Shrayer D, Reichner JS. et al. Wound-induced tumor progression: a probable role in recurrence after tumor resection. Arch Surg 1998; 133: 383-389
    Google Scholar