The relationship between Breslow thickness and prognosis in cuteneous malignant melanoma

Objective: The aim of our study is to investigate the malignant melanoma patient profile of the Eastern Black Sea region, which has a different appearance than other regions of our country both geographically and physically, and to reveal the relationship between the survival times of these patients and Breslow thickness. Materials and Methods: Our study is a clinical study and a retrospective cohort study. 122 patients who were diagnosed with malignant melanoma ICD in the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery of KTU Farabi Hospital between 2007 and 2018 were included in our study. Non-cutaneous malignant melanoma, uveal melanoma, metastatic melanoma of unknown primary and mucosal melanomas diagnosed as malignant melanoma ICD were excluded from the study. In addition, malignant melanoma in situ cases and cases with incomplete data were not included in the study. In the survival calculations, 81 patients who were followed up for 5 years were evaluated and statistical analysis was made with the SPSS program. Results: The mean age at diagnosis of the 122 patients in our study was 65.7 ± 15.5. The most common localization of the masses diagnosed with malignant melanoma was found to be lower extremities (n = 58, 47.5%). The most frequently detected subtype was nodular malignant melanoma (n = 50, 41.0%). During the follow-up, 45 (55.6%) of 81 patients were found to have died and 36 (44.4%) were found to be alive. 88% of the patients were still alive at the end of the 1st year after diagnosis, 75% at the end of the 2nd year, and 48% at the end of the 5th year. At the end of 5 years, 57% of the patients with Breslow thickness ≤4 mm were still alive, while 39% of the patients with> 4 mm were still alive.