Malignant mucosal melanoma of the head and neck

Abstract

Mucosal melanoma comparison to cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck are rare and do poorly. Approximately 0.5-2% of all melanomas occur from the mucous membranes of aerodigestive tract. Most common site of the tumor are the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses but melanoma of the oral cavity are described too. Therapy usually consists of surgical resection with or without postoperative radiotherapy and immunochemotherapy eventually. The definite role of a kind of therapy in the treatment of mucosal melanoma is not remains to be defined as the small number of cases make prospective study challenging. This article reviews 19 patients with mucosal melanoma of the head and neck treated at the Department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery Charles University of Prague since 1980 to 1999. Clinical data were obtained from the patient's charts. Analysis of the metastatic disease, type of therapy and follow-up was retrospectively reviewed. The site of the tumor was the lateral wall of the nasal cavity (five cases), nasal septum (four cases), maxilar cavity (two cases), and ethmoidal cavity, orbitoethmoidal complex, nasopharynx, saccus lacrimalis to ethmoidal sinuses diffused, tonsilla (one case each) and hypopharynx (two cases). Primary treatment was surgical resection in ten cases, in one case with radiation therapy, and in seven cases chemotherapy. In three cases were diagnostic surgery only and one patient was without therapy. Three patients received radical neck dissection more. Four patients were treated radiation therapy and three chemotherapy after surgery. In two cases were surgery after primary radiotherapy. For nine cases of recurrence of the disease were surgery (in five cases) and chemotherapy (in four cases). Overal and disease free interval was from 2 to 22 month, approximately 9.3 month and 3-year survival was 41.18%.