Mucosal melanomas of the head and neck, as a group, are rapidly lethal neoplasms with site-specific differences in survival. They are preponderantly thick melanomas and as a consequence can present with cervical lymph node metastasis with or without distant spread. Long-term survival is unusual to rare; 5-year survival is poor, and 10-year survival, dismal. Whether this life-consuming nature is due to a biologic characteristic or related to late discovery is unknown. Because of the accelerated course and obvious differences in epidemiology, mucosal melanomas should be considered separate from melanomas of the skin.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
SutherlandCMChmielJSHensonDE. Patient characteristics, methods of diagnosis and treatment of mucous membrane melanoma in the United States of America. J Am Coll Surg1994; 179: 561–6.
2.
ChiuNTWeinstockMA. Melanoma of oronasal mucosa. Population-based analysis of occurrence and mortality. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg1996; 122: 985–8.
3.
BatsakisJGRegeziJASolomonARRiceDH. The pathology of head and neck tumors: Mucosal melanomas. Head Neck Surg1982; 4: 404–18.
4.
ManolidisSDonaldPJ. Malignant mucosal melanoma of the head and neck. Review of the literature and report of 14 patients. Cancer1997; 80: 1373–86.
5.
HorminMVuoriEJ. Mucosal melanomas of the head and neck. J Laryngol1969; 83: 349–59.
6.
OhashiKKasugaTTanakaNEnomotoSHoriuchiJOkadaN. Malignant melanomas of the oral cavity: Heterogeneity of pathological and clinical features. Virchows Arch [A]1992; 420: 43–50.
7.
BarkerBFCarpenterWMDanielsTEOral mucosal melanomas. The WESTOP Banff Workshop proceedings. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod1997; 83: 672–9.
8.
BradyMSCoitDG. Lymphatic mapping in the management of patients with cutaneous melanoma. Cancer J1997; 10: 87–93.
9.
AhmedI.Malignant melanoma: Prognostic indicators. Mayo Clin Proc1997; 72: 356–61.
10.
GroverRRossDAWilsonGDSandersR. Measurement of c-myc oncoprotein provides an independent prognostic marker for regional metastatic melanoma. Br J Plast Surg1997; 50: 478–82.
11.
RossiCRFolettoMVecchiatoAAllessioSMeninNLiseM. Management of cutaneous melanoma MO: State of the art and trends. Eur J Cancer1997; 33: 2302–12.
12.
UmedaMShimadaK. Primary malignant melanoma of the oral cavity — Its histological classification and treatment. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg1994; 32: 39–47.
13.
LeeSPShimizuKTTranLMJuillardGCalcaterraTC. Mucosal melanoma of the head and neck: The impact of local control on survival. Laryngoscope1994; 104: 121–6.
14.
SternSJGuillamondeguiOM. Mucosal melanomas of the head and neck. Head Neck1991; 13: 22–7.
15.
RapiniRPGolitzLEGreerROKrekorianEAPoulsonT. Primary malignant melanoma of the oral cavity. A review of 177 cases. Cancer1985; 55: 1543–51.
16.
BuchnerAHansenCS. Pigmented nevi of the oral mucosa: A clinicopathologic study of 32 new cases and review of 75 cases from the literature. Part II. Analysis of 107 cases. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol1980; 49: 55–62.
17.
BillingsKRWangMBSercarzJAFuYS. Clinical and pathologic distinctions between primary and metastatic mucosal melanoma of the head and neck. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg1995; 112: 700–6.
18.
HendersonLTRobbinsKTWeitznerS. Upper aerodigestive tract metastases in disseminated malignant melanoma. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg1986; 112: 659–63.
19.
BatsakisJGLunaMAByersRM. Metastases to the larynx. Head Neck Surg1985; 7: 458–60.
20.
WenigBM. Laryngeal mucosal malignant melanoma. A clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study of four patients and a review of the literature. Cancer1995; 75: 1568–77.
21.
ReuterVEWoodruffJM. Melanoma of the larynx. Laryngoscope1986; 96: 389–93.
22.
Gonzalez-VelaMCFernandezFAMayorgaMRodriguez-IglesiasJVal-BernalJF. Laryngeal melanosis: A report of four cases and literature review. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg1997; 117: 708–12.
23.
RewDA. Heterogeneity, biodiversity and bioperversity in solid neoplasms. Eur J Surg Oncol1996; 22: 469–73.
