Histopathological Characteristics of Cutaneous Melanoma in Isfahan, Iran, from 2013 to 2018

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the histopathological characteristics of cutaneous melanoma in Isfahan from 2013 to 2018, according to histopathological subtype, lesions location, Clark level, and Breslow thickness. METHODS: A descriptive, retrospective study in reports of Alzahra Hospital and Dr. Rajabi Pathology Laboratory in Isfahan. RESULTS: In total, 45 patients were included in this study. The most prevalent histopathological subtype was acral lentiginous melanoma (48.89%), followed by lentigo maligna melanoma (17.78%), nodular melanoma (11.11%), and superficial spreading melanoma (8.89%). Most malignant lesions were on the foot and toes (31.1%) and face (24.4%). Tumor invasion level was mainly at Clark level IV (42.2%). Furthermore, the mean depth of tumor penetration (Breslow thickness) was 3.87 ± 3.35. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed the characteristics of melanoma in the Iranian population. Our results showed a similar trend with previous studies in the Asian population. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the role of ethnic and environmental risk factors for developing melanoma in different populations.