Melanoma of the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa

Melanoma involving the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa is a rare disease that is difficult to treat and generally has a poor prognosis. Data on 17 patients treated at the UCLA Medical Center during the period 1970 to 1985 were reviewed in a retrospective manner. The five-year disease-free survival was 25% (3/12). Surgery, with or without radiation therapy, is the mode of treatment to control disease in most patients. Treatment failures, which include both local recurrence and distant metastases, may occur many years after initial therapy. We found a correlation between the thickness of tumor and the clinical outcome.