Mucosal melanoma of the head and neck

From 1972 to 1988, 15 patients presented to the Duke University Melanoma Clinic, Durham, NC, with malignant melanoma of the mucus membranes of the upper aerodigestive tract. Eleven patients had a nasopharyngeal origin of their melanoma, while 4 patients had oropharyngeal lesions. The average age of the patients was 58.4 years. Median survival for the patients was 1.8 years, with a 5-year survival of approximately 10%. Survival was found to be independent of sex, tumor site, and extent of disease at presentation. Recurrence occurred in 80% of the patients and the median time to recurrence was 10 months. The median survival following recurrence was 13 months and was independent of the site of recurrence. Mucosal melanoma of the head and neck continues to result in a poor prognosis in spite of aggressive treatment.