STATISTICAL SURVEY FROM 1973-2007 OF 154 PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT MELANOMA

A statistical investigation was conducted of melanoma patients who had been registered by Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita, Japan. The subjects were 154 patients with malignant melanoma encountered at Akita University during the 35-year period from 1973 to 2007. The data analyzed included sex, age, location, tumor thickness, tumor ulceration, Clark’s subtype, UICC staging and chemotherapy. The survival rate was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the significance of differences was determined with the log-rank test. The number of patients with malignant melanoma was compared every 5 years from 1973 to 2007, and the number tended to increase. Factors associated with decreased survival rate included male, location in BANS region, increased tumor thickness, presence of ulcer, advanced stage at diagnosis and absence of chemotherapy