Investigating the Prevalence of Oral and Cutaneous Melanoma Among the Patients



Rahrotaban S¹ ; Monshizadeh R¹ ; Naeini FB¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health Published:2018

Abstract

Background: Melanoma is a malignant tumor and one of the major causes of various types of skin cancer. Diagnosing melanoma in the initial phases can help protect patients from the death caused by this complication. Cutaneous and oral melanomas have been on the rise over the last decade. The researchers in the present study have investigated the prevalence of oral and dermal melanoma among the patients resorting to the pathology department of Imam Khomeini Hospital Cancer Institute from 2003 to 2014. Materials and Method: This is a descriptive research where as many as 10845 patients suffering from oral and dermal melanoma were studied over a period of 12 years. The files of these patients were kept in the archive of Imam Khomeini Hospital Cancer Institute. Some 410 primary dermal melanoma and 60 cases of primary oral melanoma were separated and studied for statistical description. Results: Of 410 patients suffering from dermal melanoma, 216 were female and 194 were male. Of 60 patients with oral melanoma, 36 were female and 24 were male. The lowest and the highest age of affliction with dermal melanoma were 19 and 87 years respectively. The lowest and the highest age of affliction with oral melanoma were 7 and 85 years respectively. Foot sole had the highest rate of affliction with cutaneous melanoma (36.1%) while the trunk had the lowest rate of affliction (4.6%). The highest frequency of oral melanoma is observed in hard palate (58.3%) while the lowest frequency was observed in labial mucosa (5%). Conclusion: A significant number of the patients with melanoma were suffering from cutaneous melanoma and, contrary to our expectations, this disease is more frequent among women. © 2018 Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.