Approach to Patients with Malignant Melanoma of Unknown Primary Origin

OBJECTIVES: Although malignant melanoma accounts for 3% of skin cancers, it is responsible for 75% of deaths associated with skin cancer. In our study, all melanoma cases diagnosed and treated at our clinic were retrospectively reviewed, and the cases of unknown primary origin among them were examined in detail in terms of diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The patients with malignant melanoma treated at the inpatient services of our clinic between January 1991 and April 2017 were retrospectively screened in the records. These patients were evaluated for age, sex, tumor type, Breslow depth, metastasis, and treatment. Among these patients, four cases of unknown primary origin were examined in detail. RESULTS: During January 1991 and April 2017, 173 patients received inpatient care for malignant melanoma at our clinic. As regards to the melanoma subtypes, nodular type in 45 patients, acral lentiginous type in 43 patients, superficial spreading type in 63 patients, lentigo maligna melanoma in 15 patients, subungual type in 7 patients, and either unidentified melanoma or other subtypes in 10 patients were identified. CONCLUSION: The ideal treatment of a patient with melanoma is multidisciplinary, with plastic surgery having a central role.