Performance of a 31‐gene expression profile test in cutaneous melanomas of the head and neck

BACKGROUND: We report the performance of a gene expression profile test to classify the recurrence risk of cutaneous melanoma tumors of the head and neck as low‐risk Class 1 or high‐risk Class 2. METHODS: Of note, 157 primary head and neck cutaneous melanoma tumors were identified. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan‐Meier and Cox methods. RESULTS: Gene expression profile class and node status stratified tumors into significantly different 5‐year survival groups by Kaplan‐Meier method (P < .0001 for all end points), and both were independent predictors of recurrence in multivariate analysis. Overall, 74% of distant metastases and 88% of melanoma‐specific deaths had Class 2 risk. CONCLUSION: The gene expression profile test identifies cases at increased risk for metastasis and death independent of a clinically or pathologically negative nodal status, suggesting that incorporation of this molecular tool could improve clinical management of patients with head and neck cutaneous melanoma, especially in those with a negative sentinel lymph node biopsy.