{"title":"Clinicopathologic features and surgical management in vulvovaginal melanoma – A retrospective single-center study","authors":"Telma Lumiala, Virve Koljonen, Kaisu Ojala","doi":"10.1016/j.bjps.2024.10.035","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and aims</h3><div>Vulvovaginal melanoma is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to review cases of vulvovaginal melanoma treated at Helsinki University Hospital. Objective was to evaluate the clinicopathologic features, treatment, and factors affecting outcome.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A single-center retrospective review was conducted on patients treated between 2001 and 2021. Data were collected from medical records. Clinicopathologic features, treatment, survival, and prognostic factors were analyzed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 21 patients were included in the analysis. Localization was vulvar in 86% (n = 18) and vaginal in 14% (n = 3). The median age at diagnosis was 80 years. Initial treatment included surgery in 18 patients (86%), with wide local excision in 19%, radical excision in 62%, and pelvic exenteration in 4.8%. Negative margins were achieved in 83% (n = 15). Eleven (52%) patients underwent inguinal treatment: sentinel lymph node biopsy in 33%, direct lymphadenectomy in 14%, and both in 4.8%. Nine patients experienced melanoma recurrence. Recurrences were locoregional (n = 1), distant (n = 4), and both locoregional and distant (n = 4). Median disease-free survival was 18.9M and median overall survival (OS) was 36.5M. The 5-year relative OS was 20%. Melanoma was the cause of death in seven patients (33%). Vaginal localization tended to worsen prognosis. Nodal status was the only melanoma characteristic significantly associated with survival. Surgical radicality did not affect survival.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Vulvovaginal melanoma is associated with extremely poor survival rates and high recurrence rates, primarily involving distant metastasis. In local control, wide local excision seems to be a viable alternative to more radical surgery. Nodal status is a key prognostic factor emphasizing the importance of further research into the applicability of sentinel lymph node biopsy for vulvovaginal melanoma.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50084,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery","volume":"100 ","pages":"Pages 8-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1748681524006843","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"SURGERY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background and aims
Vulvovaginal melanoma is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to review cases of vulvovaginal melanoma treated at Helsinki University Hospital. Objective was to evaluate the clinicopathologic features, treatment, and factors affecting outcome.
Methods
A single-center retrospective review was conducted on patients treated between 2001 and 2021. Data were collected from medical records. Clinicopathologic features, treatment, survival, and prognostic factors were analyzed.
Results
A total of 21 patients were included in the analysis. Localization was vulvar in 86% (n = 18) and vaginal in 14% (n = 3). The median age at diagnosis was 80 years. Initial treatment included surgery in 18 patients (86%), with wide local excision in 19%, radical excision in 62%, and pelvic exenteration in 4.8%. Negative margins were achieved in 83% (n = 15). Eleven (52%) patients underwent inguinal treatment: sentinel lymph node biopsy in 33%, direct lymphadenectomy in 14%, and both in 4.8%. Nine patients experienced melanoma recurrence. Recurrences were locoregional (n = 1), distant (n = 4), and both locoregional and distant (n = 4). Median disease-free survival was 18.9M and median overall survival (OS) was 36.5M. The 5-year relative OS was 20%. Melanoma was the cause of death in seven patients (33%). Vaginal localization tended to worsen prognosis. Nodal status was the only melanoma characteristic significantly associated with survival. Surgical radicality did not affect survival.
Conclusions
Vulvovaginal melanoma is associated with extremely poor survival rates and high recurrence rates, primarily involving distant metastasis. In local control, wide local excision seems to be a viable alternative to more radical surgery. Nodal status is a key prognostic factor emphasizing the importance of further research into the applicability of sentinel lymph node biopsy for vulvovaginal melanoma.
期刊介绍:
JPRAS An International Journal of Surgical Reconstruction is one of the world''s leading international journals, covering all the reconstructive and aesthetic aspects of plastic surgery.
The journal presents the latest surgical procedures with audit and outcome studies of new and established techniques in plastic surgery including: cleft lip and palate and other heads and neck surgery, hand surgery, lower limb trauma, burns, skin cancer, breast surgery and aesthetic surgery.