Clinicopathologic analysis of malignant melanoma in Taiwan☆,☆☆
Section snippets
PATIENTS AND METHODS
From Nov 1, 1985 to June 30, 1998, 65 patients were diagnosed with malignant melanoma at Veterans General Hospital, Taichung. From these 65, we excluded 12 patients with mucosal melanoma, and 2 patients with cutaneous melanoma whose pathologic specimens were not available for evaluation.
We reviewed the medical records of the remaining 51 cases of cutaneous malignant melanoma, including age, sex, primary location of tumor, stages, metastatic locations, and survival status. The histologic
Age, sex, and subtype distributions
A total of 51 patients with melanoma were analyzed in this study. Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) was the most common subtype (28/51, 54.9%), followed by nodular melanoma (NM) (15/51, 29.4%), superficial spreading melanoma (4/51, 7.8%), and lentigo maligna melanoma (4/51, 7.87%) (Table I). The mean ages of the patients in each subtype were 65 years, 56 years, 65 years, and 58 years, respectively. Patients with ALM and superficial spreading melanoma tended to have later onset. More male
DISCUSSION
ALM is quite rare and comprises only 3% to 10% of melanomas in western countries.16 It is, however, the predominant form of melanoma affecting Asians, African-Americans, and other individuals of color.16 It accounts for about 35% to 50% of all melanomas in Japan and Taiwan.8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Because of their secluded body locations, ALMs are not usually recognized until the late stages, when they are ulcerated or large in size, so they tend to have a poor prognosis.17 However, when corrected
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Cited by (69)
Prognostic factors for Taiwanese patients with cutaneous melanoma undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy
2015, Journal of the Formosan Medical AssociationCitation Excerpt :However, a previous study in Taiwan also reports that ALM is an independent prognostic factor for better OS, as determined by multivariate analysis.23 One possible explanation is that the most common subtype of nonacral melanoma in our study and in a previous study23 was nodular melanoma (NM). In Taiwan, SSM (which is associated with a better prognosis than either ALM or NM) accounts for only a small proportion of nonacral melanoma cases.
Epigenetics of Melanoma
2015, Epigenetics and DermatologySkin cancer and photoprotection in people of color: A review and recommendations for physicians and the public
2014, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyComparison of full-thickness skin graft and punch grafting in the reconstruction of plantar defects
2024, Journal of DermatologyA Cohort Study: Comorbidity and Stage Affected the Prognosis of Melanoma Patients in Taiwan
2022, Frontiers in Oncology
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Reprint requests: Jui-Lung Shen, MD, Department of Dermatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, No. 160, Sec. 3, Taichung-Kang Road, Taichung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
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