MELANOMA ARISING DE-NOVO IN CHILDHOOD - EXPERIENCE OF THE GUSTAVE-ROUSSY INSTITUTE

Between January 1956 and December 1990, 17 patients younger than 17 ye ars with available pathological screens of de novo cutaneous melanoma, and with no other risk factors (xeroderma pigmentosum, giant congenit al naevi, congenital melanoma or a proven family history of dysplastic naevus syndrome) were seen at the Gustave-Roussy Institute, The media n age was 9 years and 9 months (range 2 years and 3 months-16 years an d 9 months), The primary disease was located in the lower extremities in 10 cases, the trunk in five cases, and the upper extremities or hea d and neck in one case. The disease was localized for 10 patients at p resentation (stage I), six had proven nodal metastasis (stage II) and one patient had nodal and breast metastases. The median thickness of t he primary lesion was 2.89 mm (range 0.64-10). Five tumours were at le vel III on Clark's index, eight at level IV and four at level V. Six c ases were classified as superficial spreading, two as unclassified rad ial growth, three nodular, three with Spitzoid cells, and three were u nclassified, Two patients presented local recurrence with an initial u nclassified melanoma, with a thickness greater than 2.5 mm, At a media n follow-up time of 7 years, two patients had died from recurrent dise ase, and one patient had died from a second malignancy.