SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS WITH STAGE IA MALIGNANT-MELANOMA

There is ongoing clinical research on prognostic parameters relevant t o stage IA melanoma. The object is to identify those factors associate d with an increased risk of recurrence. The charts of 197 patients fir st treated at our Institute between 1980 and 1992 along with 62 patien ts referred for follow-up or treatment of recurrent disease, all havin g been initially diagnosed with stage IA disease, were reviewed. Only one patient (0.5%) of those first treated at our Institute manifested recurrence and this was a local recurrence. No statistically significa nt differences were found between patients who relapsed and those who did not with regard to lesion thickness, level of invasion, evidence o f ulceration, location of the primary lesion, gender, or age. Generall y, stage IA melanomas have excellent prognosis. However, there are pat ients who experience recurrent and metastatic disease. At the present time, there are no reliable indicators available for use in predicting which patients are at risk.