Original article
Retrospective analysis of prognostic factors of the skin melanoma patients with local tumor excision and the patients with regional lymphadenectomy

The aim of the study was to asses the significance of clinical and pathological prognostic factors associated with skin melanoma in patients with regional lymphadenectomy and with local melanoma excision. In this study data obtained from 202 melanoma patients operated on in the Great Poland Cancer Centre between: 1994-2000 was analyzed. Univariate statistical analysis was performed and clinical, histopathological data of statistical significance were correlated with survival time using the multivariate Cox nonparametric proportional hazard regression model. There were no differences between survival time in the observed groups of patients. The results suggested that the most important prognostic factors correlating with survival time were: melanoma-positive regional lymph nodes. In the group of patients with local melanoma excision following factors showed a statistical correlation with survival time: the thickness of the melanoma, as measured by the Breslow method in mm, the level of invasion according to Clark, the presence of ulceration and skin metastases. In the group of patients with regional lymphadenectomy: histological type of superficial spreading melanoma malignum (SSMM), lymphocyte infiltration, skin or visceral metastases showed a statistical correlation with survival time.