Malignant melanoma of the scalp

Malignant melanoma of the scalp has a significantly worse prognosis than cutaneous melanoma arising in other head and neck sites. In this series, 125 patients were treated for Stage I invasive melanoma of the scalp and followed 3 to 19 years. Survival rates for these patients were calculated on the basis of several factors. Survival after treatment was not affected by the age and sex of the patient, size and site of the primary, or treatment of the primary lesion, although local failure was higher among those treated by primary excision and closure. Patients undergoing elective neck dissection with histologically negative nodes had significantly better survival rates than those with histologically positive nodes or patients in whom a neck dissection was not performed.