Treatment and Outcomes of Melanoma in Acral Location in Korean Patients

PURPOSE: A retrospective study was conducted to review the treatment and outcomes of mainly melanomas in acral location in a single institution in Korea, and to evaluate the prognostic significance of anatomic locations of the tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was completed on 40 patients between 2001 and 2006 to obtain pertinent demographic data, tumor data, treatment characteristics, and follow-up data. RESULTS: Forty melanoma patients were identified and analyzed. Of these, 18 were male and 22 were female patients and the mean age at the time of diagnosis was 55.9 years. Of the tumors, 65% were located on the hands and feet with acral lentiginous melanoma being the most common histological subtype. Univariate analysis for the overall melanoma survival revealed that the thickness of the tumor and the clinical stage have prognostic significances. The most significant factor as analyzed by a multivariate analysis was shown to be the advanced clinical stage. Acral melanomas did not show statistically significant differences in the age at diagnosis, thickness of the tumor, stage, ulceration, and survival rates compared to non-acral melanomas. There was also no significant difference in the survival rate between the patients treated by amputation versus wide local excision in acral melanomas. CONCLUSION: In Korean melanoma patients, thickness and advanced stages are significant factors for poorer prognosis. However, the location of melanoma did not have a significant prognostic value. In treating the melanomas in acral location, local wide excisions resulted in a similar prognosis compared to amputations.