Research Article Open Access

Malignant Mucosal Melanoma of the Head and Neck Diagnosed in an Iranian Population over an 11-Year Period

Maryam Assadat Hashemi Pour, M. Rad, M. R. Zarei and G. Chamani

Abstract

Problem statement: Mucosal Melanoma of the Head and Neck (MMHN) is a rare lethal disease. This malignancy accounts for half of all mucosal melanomas, occurring mainly in the nasal cavity, oral cavity and pharynx. They appear with equal gender distribution and with a peak incidence in the age range 60-80 years. The aim of this study was to investigate incidence, sex, age and site distribution of MMHN in the Kerman province during the time period from March 1991-2002. Approach: Documents and records of 52 patients with MMHN diagnosed from March 1991-2002 were reviewed. The patients were analyzed according to gender, age and location of the tumor. Data included in the present retrospective study were analyzed by SPSS13.5 statistical software, t-test and chi-square. Results: During this time period, 52 cases (25 men and 27 women) of MMHN were diagnosed. The age range was 7-84 years. The nasal cavity (55.8%) was the most affected site. The palate and upper gingiva was the most common site in the oral cavity (8 patients, 88.8%). Survivals 5 years in MMHN patients were 27% and patients with mucosal melanoma of oral cavity have an 11%, 5 year survival rate. Conclusion: Comparison between the findings of this study with the results obtained by other investigators showed a relative consistency.

American Journal of Applied Sciences
Volume 6 No. 8, 2009, 1467-1472

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajassp.2009.1467.1472

Submitted On: 14 April 2009 Published On: 31 August 2009

How to Cite: Pour, M. A. H., Rad, M., Zarei, M. R. & Chamani, G. (2009). Malignant Mucosal Melanoma of the Head and Neck Diagnosed in an Iranian Population over an 11-Year Period. American Journal of Applied Sciences, 6(8), 1467-1472. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajassp.2009.1467.1472

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Keywords

  • Melanoma
  • malignant
  • head
  • neck