[Mucosal malignant melanomas of the head and neck]

Mucosal malignant melanomas in the head and neck are most frequently located in the nose and sinuses. The tumours are rare, the clinical course unpredictable and the prognosis poor. 13 patients were presented with malignant melanoma in nose and sinuses in the ENT department, Ullevål Hospital, in the course of 30 years. Average age at presentation was 72 years; there were eight women and five men. Ten patients were primarily operated, and two of these received postoperative irradiation. Three patients received only palliative treatment. Four patients are alive, observation time respectively ten, seven and approximately two years (two patients). Several of the dead patients had long observation periods before death and several had operations for recurrences. The longest observed survival was 19 years. All tumours had histological characteristics indicating aggressive growth. The material is too small and sampled over too long a period for conclusions to be drawn with regard to the effect of different treatment modalities.