Evaluation of Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Turkish Patients With Primary Cutaneous Melanoma: A 5-Year Experience of a Tertiary Referral Center

Abstract

Introduction: Data about the demographic and clinical characteristics of melanoma patients in Turkey is limited. Objective: Data about the demographic and clinical characteristics of melanoma patients in Turkey is limited. We aimed to review the features of patients with primary cutaneous melanoma (PCM) diagnosed and treated in a tertiary referral center. Methods: The medical records of melanoma patients followed up by the Departments of Dermatology and Medical Oncology were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Within the 5-year period, 180 patients had been diagnosed with melanoma. Of all, 158 (87.8%) had PCM, 9 (5%) had mucosal melanoma, 9 (5%) had unknown primary melanoma, and 4 (2.2%) had ocular melanoma. Of 146 patients with PCM, 32.9% had stage I, 28.8% had stage II, 17.8% had stage III, and 20.5% had stage IV disease. The most common subtype was superficial spreading melanoma (38.8%). A statistically significant correlation was found between the patients' Breslow thickness and lymph node involvement, histopathological subtype, and tumor ulceration (p <0.001). Among all PCM patients, those in stage IV had the lowest 5-year survival rate when compared to the other disease stages (p<0.001). Conclusion: Relatively younger age at melanoma diagnosis, frequent presence of thick (>4 mm) tumor, and frequent acral lentiginous subtype are the most remarkable features that suggest the low awareness and knowledge of melanoma in our population.