FEATURES OF COURSE AND RESULTS OF TREATMENT OF BODY SKIN MELANOMA

The article presents an analysis of the features of the course and survival of 304 patients with body skin melanoma (BSM), who underwent surgical treatment in the Crimean Republican Clinical Oncological Dispensary in the period from 1982 to 2004, depending on the location of tumor and different surgical tactics. The most «vulnerable» age group for the development of DSM included patients 41 to 60 years - 42.1±2.8% (53.9% women, 46.1% men). Assessing the long-term results of surgical treatment of BSM in the overall cohort of patients (n=304), it should be noted that 11.3% of the patients died during the first year, 3-year survival rate was 64.4±28%, 5-year survival rate - 53.8±2.9%, 10-year survival rate - 41.0±2.9%. It has been shown that various localization of BSM does not significantly affect the features of the course, the nature of metastasis and the depth of tumor invasion. Simultaneous lymphadenectomy in the absence of morphological confirmation of melanoma metastases in regional lymph nodes is not justified (diagnosis is not confirmed in 43.4±5.0% of patients). Metastases in regional lymph nodes should be considered as a factor of unfavorable course, which significantly reduces life expectancy and survival of patients. Expectant management of patients after the removal of the primary tumor which consists of a delayed lymph node dissection only in the case of appearance of clinical signs of lymph node metastases does not worsen the survival.

skin melanoma, metastases in regional lymph nodes, lymphadenectomy, survival