Prognostic factors in patients with regional cervical nodal metastases from cutaneous malignant melanoma

A retrospective analysis with a minimum 10 year follow-up was performed on 287 patients who underwent radical or modified neck dissections with histologically involved regional nodal metastases from cutaneous malignant melanoma. The cumulative 5 year and 10 year survival rates calculated from the time of node dissection were 33 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Age and sex of the patient, site of known primary tumor, clinical stage at presentation, and time interval from the treatment of the primary tumor to node dissection did not independently affect survival. However, an unknown site of primary disease, the presence of only one histologically involved node, and the absence of extranodal tumor invasion at the time of node dissection were statistically significant individual prognostic factors for an improved survival rate.