Evaluation of 107 therapeutic and elective parotidectomies for cutaneous melanoma

A total of 107 patients with cutaneous melanoma had parotidectomies performed by one surgeon over a 6-year period. Twenty-five parotidectomies were therapeutic and 82 were elective. All elective and 18 therapeutic operations entailed superficial lobectomy, and there were 4 total and 3 subtotal therapeutic operations. The facial nerve was completely preserved in 97 operations, partially sacrificed in 8, and totally sacrificed in 2. Neck dissection accompanied all but 1 parotidectomy. The most common postoperative complication was facial nerve dysfunction. A total of 33 of 82 patients had lower lip weakness between 6 months and 5 years after elective parotidectomy. Lymph nodes were pathologically positive in the parotid gland in 27 patients and in the neck in 15 patients. Ten patients had both parotid and neck metastases. Among patients with positive melanoma in the parotid gland who were observed for at least 1 year, 16 received adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy (550 cGy x 5 fractions) and 9 did not. Parotid recurrences developed in 1/16 irradiated and 4/9 nonirradiated patients but this difference was not significant. Overall melanoma-specific survival at 5 years was 64%, with nodal involvement in the neck or parotid gland significantly worsening prognosis (40% survival at 5 years). The roles of elective lymphadenectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy are now being examined in prospective randomized clinical trials.