Amelanotic melanoma is a infrequent subtype of cutaneous melanoma. The tumor characteristics are still not well understood, especially for those located in the head and neck. The researchers analyzed tumor characteristics of patients diagnosed with amelanotic melanoma of the head and neck or AMHN from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2015, by querying the National Cancer Database. They subsequently compared characteristics of AMHN with common malignant melanoma of the head and neck or CMMHN.
Three hundred and sixty‐eight patients were diagnosed with AMHN, and 69,267 were diagnosed with CMMHN. Of those with AMHN, 128 (34.8%) had melanoma located on the scalp and neck, and 172 (46.7%) were diagnosed with an early disease stage. When compared with CMMHN, patients with AMHN were more likely to be diagnosed after 80 years of age, when Breslow depth was between 2.01 and 4.00 mm, when ulceration was present, and when the mitotic count was one or more/mm2. The researchers didn’t find any statistical difference for sex, specific location, stage, or lymph node involvement. There are still more studies to do for the researchers to find some more outcomes from it.
Ref: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijd.15243
