Clinical and histological features of melanoma in adult Nigerians

Melanoma known to be common among Caucasians is increasingly getting more common among blacks in the tropics.

To characterize the clinical and histological features of these tumours in adult Nigerians.

All cases of melanoma diagnosed between 2006 and 2010 in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria were retrieved and their clinical and pathological features reviewed.

Eighty five cases comprising 41 males and 44 females were diagnosed with mean age of 56 ± 14.6 years. Mean duration before presentation was 2.3 ± 0.8 years. Eighty five percent of cases were located in the foot, 8% with lymph node involvement and seventy eight of the 85 cases were of Breslow thickness > 4 mm. Fifty five cases were of Clark level V and 78% of Nodular variant. Prognostic features including ulceration, lymphocytic infiltration, significant mitotic activity, satellitosis and lymphovascular infiltration were present in 69%, 38%, 16%, 45% and 17% of cases respectively. Only three cases were amelanotic.

Melanoma in the Nigerians is predominantly of the nodular variant and located in the foot, is characterized by late presentation and is generally associated with adverse prognostic features.