Histopathologic characteristics, recurrence patterns, and survival of 129 patients with desmoplastic melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Desmoplastic melanoma (DM) has been associated with higher local recurrence rates than other types of cutaneous melanoma. Current controversies regarding locoregional treatment strategies warrant further investigation. METHODS: Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained melanoma database identified 129 patients with DM out of >12,500 melanoma patients referred for treatment from 1980 to 2003. Clinical and histopathologic characteristics, recurrence, and survival were analyzed. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 4.0 years. Of the 129 patients identified, 82 (63.6%) were male, and the median age was 55.2 years. American Joint Committee on Cancer staging was I, II, and III in 25.6%, 68.0%, and 6.4% of patients, respectively, and the mean tumor thickness was 4.42 mm. Overall survival was 76% at 5 years and 64% at 10 years; median survival was 13.0 years. A total of 51 patients (39.5%) experienced disease recurrence, with a median time to recurrence of 1.3 years. The first recurrence was local in 18 patients (14.0%), nodal in 18 patients (14.0%), and distant in 15 patients (11.6%), with median survivals of 6.7, 7.8, and 1.8 years, respectively. Statistically significant predictors of recurrence were a final positive margin status and stage, and predictors of overall survival were patient age and stage. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with other types of melanoma, DMs do demonstrate a tendency toward local recurrence, thus suggesting that narrower excision margins may not be appropriate in this population. Scrutiny of final surgical margins is critical to the local management of DM. In addition, the potential for regional nodal involvement must be considered at the time of diagnosis and during surveillance for disease recurrence.

Thermal dose is related to duration of local control in canine sarcomas treated with thermoradiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To test that prospective delivery of higher thermal dose is associated with longer tumor control duration. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: 122 dogs with a heatable soft tissue sarcoma were randomized to receive a low (2-5 CEM43 degrees CT90) or high (20-50 CEM43 degrees CT90) thermal dose in combination with radiotherapy. Most dogs (90%) received four to six hyperthermia treatments over 5 weeks. RESULTS: In the primary analysis, median (95% confidence interval) duration of local control in the low-dose group was 1.2 (0.7-2.1) years versus 1.9 (1.4-3.2) years in the high-dose group (log-rank P = 0.28). The probability (95% confidence interval) of tumor control at 1 year in the low-dose versus high-dose groups was 0.57 (0.43-0.70) versus 0.74 (0.62-0.86), respectively. Using multivariable procedure, thermal dose group (P = 0.023), total duration of heating (P = 0.008), tumor volume (P = 0.041), and tumor grade (P = 0.027) were significantly related to duration of local tumor control. When correcting for volume, grade, and duration of heating, dogs in the low-dose group were 2.3 times as likely to experience local failure. CONCLUSIONS: Thermal dose is directly related to local control duration in irradiated canine sarcomas. Longer heating being associated with shorter local tumor control was unexpected. However, the effect of thermal dose on tumor control was stronger than for heating duration. The heating duration effect is possibly mediated through deleterious effects on tumor oxygenation. These results are the first to show the value of prospectively controlled thermal dose in achieving local tumor control with thermoradiotherapy, and they establish a paradigm for prescribing thermoradiotherapy and writing a thermal prescription.

Long-term survival in 2,505 patients with melanoma with regional lymph node metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the long-term outcomes of patients with melanoma metastatic to regional lymph nodes. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Regional lymph node metastasis is a major determinant of outcome for patients with melanoma, and the presence of regional lymph node metastasis has been commonly used as an indication for systemic, often intensive, adjuvant therapy. However, the risk of recurrence varies greatly within this heterogeneous group of patients. METHODS: Database review identified 2,505 patients, referred to the Duke University Melanoma Clinic between 1970 and 1998, with histologic confirmation of regional lymph node metastasis before clinical evidence of distant metastasis and with documentation of full lymph node dissection. Recurrence and survival after lymph node dissection were analyzed. RESULTS: Estimated overall survival rates at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years were 43%, 35%, 28%, and 23%, respectively. This population included 792 actual 5-year survivors, 350 10-year survivors, and 137 15-year survivors. The number of positive lymph nodes was the most powerful predictor of both overall survival and recurrence-free survival; 5-year overall survival rates ranged from 53% for one positive node to 25% for greater than four nodes. Primary tumor ulceration and thickness were also powerful predictors of both overall and recurrence-free survival in multivariate analyses. The most common site of first recurrence after lymph node dissection was distant (44% of all patients). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with regional lymph node metastasis can enjoy significant long-term survival after lymph node dissection. Therefore, aggressive surgical therapy of regional lymph node metastases is warranted, and each individual's risk of recurrence should be weighed against the potential risks of adjuvant therapy.