Patient characteristics, methods of diagnosis, and treatment of mucous membrane melanoma in the United States of America

BACKGROUND: There is limited information regarding mucous membrane malignant melanoma. STUDY DESIGN: The American College of Surgeons performed a patient care and evaluation study of malignant melanoma for 1981 and 1987 to determine the presenting symptoms, methods of evaluation, clinical management, and disease outcome. Previous reports on malignant melanoma of the skin and ocular melanoma have been prepared. This report details the findings for 60 patients with mucous membrane melanoma diagnosed in 1981 and 97 patients diagnosed in 1987. RESULTS: The patients with mucous membrane melanoma were generally older than patients with either skin or ocular melanoma. Significantly more females than males were reported, with no significant change between study years. Proportionally, more blacks were diagnosed with this condition than in the previous studies of skin and ocular melanoma. The patients with melanoma in this study had a poor prognosis based on characteristics known to be important for skin melanoma. As for patients with skin melanoma, most patients with mucous membrane melanoma were treated with operation alone, but good results were infrequent in patients with mucous membrane melanoma. Local, regional, and systemic recurrences were significant problems and overall survival was poor. CONCLUSIONS: We need new methods of treating these patients to control the disease and improve survival rates.