17 Melanoma Abstract Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is an aggressive neoplasm, known for its ability to spread to regional lymphatics as well as distant sites. Although it is less common than basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the mortality rates associated with CMM far outstrip those of its less aggressive counterparts. When CMM is detected early, the chance of cure is very high; however, a significant number will have regional or distant spread, and the diagnostic and treatment rationale for these is complex. Herein we describe the diagnosis and treatment of regionally metastatic melanoma of the head and neck—with a focus on the differences in treatment of node-positive (N +) and node-negative (N0) patients. We will describe the central role of neck dissection in the treatment of the N + neck, and the importance of sentinel lymph node biopsy as a diagnostic/therapeutic procedure in patients with N0 disease. Keywords: melanoma, metastatic, neck dissection, sentinel node, MSLT-1, MSLT-2 Cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck accounts for up to 20% of all cutaneous malignant melanomas (CMMs). It is aggressive, and in this region the overall prognosis has been reported to be poorer than in other sites.1 During the last 30 years, incidence rates of CMM have increased steadily. Currently, it is estimated that in the United States 87,110 new melanomas will be diagnosed (about 52,170 in men and 34,940 in women) and 9,730 people are expected to die of melanoma.2 Although this is only 10% of all cutaneous malignancies, CMM accounts for more than 75% of all deaths from skin cancer. Despite the advances made for early primary disease, the prognosis for regional metastatic melanoma remains dismal, with overall 5-year survival of 62%.3 There are several well-known risk factors for spread of melanoma ( Multiple studies have reported the prognostic significance of anatomic site of the primary on survival rates. In general, patients with head and neck primaries are thought to have a worse prognosis than patients with extremity tumors.4 Several studies have reported that tumors arising in the so-called BANS region (upper back, upper arm, posterior neck and scalp) have worse survival rates than in the non-BANS regions, though this remains controversial.5,6 Within the head and neck, a review from the MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that lesions located on the scalp do significantly worse than lesions on the ear, face, or neck.7 This finding has been corroborated by other investigators.8 Table 17.1 Risk factors for metastatic spread in cutaneous malignant melanoma
17.1 Introduction
17.1.1 Risk Factors for Metastasis
Table 17.1), the most important of which is the Breslow thickness of the primary tumor. Thicker tumors are more likely to gain access to vascular and lymphatic channels, and therefore to metastasize. Also, since facial skin is often thin, there is also a subgroup of thin melanomas (< 1 mm deep), which have invaded to Clark level IV or beyond, and behave more aggressively as well.
Sex: |
• Male |
Depth: |
• Breslow’s depth (and Clark’s level in thin facial skin) |
• ±Clark’s level in thin facial skin |
Primary site: |
• Scalp or neck |
Histological findings: |
• Presence of histological ulceration |
• Mitotic rate ≥ 1 mm2 |
• Lympho/vascular invasion |
• Immunosuppression |
Histologic factors that increase the risk for metastatic spread include ulceration, mitotic rate greater than 1, and lymphovascular invasion. It is felt that these characteristics enable melanoma cells to invade small vessels or cause ulceration that may be closely tied to the factors that enable it to undergo lymph node metastasis. These factors have been shown to be associated not only with lymph node metastasis, but also with survival. Callery et al found that among clinical and histological node-positive patients, the prognosis was worse for patients with an ulcerated primary tumor, satellitosis, or a high mitotic rate.9 Others have duplicated those findings,10,11 the implication being that the presence of one or more histological risk factors is an important biological tumor marker that can be used in addition to tumor thickness to predict the probability of a primary tumor’s metastatic potential.
17.1.2 Patterns of Spread
The clinical course of cutaneous melanoma is highly variable. Cutaneous melanomas can spread locally through dermal lymphatic channels to form cutaneous satellite lesions (within 2 cm of the primary lesion), as well as in-transit lesions along the course of the draining lymphatics. Most commonly, however, metastatic tumor progression presents as metastasis to draining regional lymph nodes.
The pattern of these lymph node metastases is important to understand as they will greatly affect treatment (
Fig. 17.1). In general, tumors located anteriorly on the face and neck generally spread to the facial, submental, submandibular, and deep cervical nodes. Tumors arising on the scalp and forehead, anterior to a coronal line drawn through the external auditory canal, most commonly spread to the parotid/periparotid lymph nodes, and upper jugular lymph nodes. Conversely, tumors arising on the scalp and occiput posterior to this line most commonly spread to the postauricular, suboccipital, and posterior triangle lymph nodes. These drainage patterns have important ramifications for treatment: with facial and anterior scalp lesions requiring a neck dissection addressing those nodes (usually a supraomohyoid or lateral neck dissection) as well as consideration of a parotidectomy, while tumors of the posterior scalp and neck would require a neck dissection that addresses different nodal groups such as a posterolateral neck dissection.
Fig. 17.1 Predicted patterns of lymphatic drainage from primary sites in the head and neck.
(Adapted from Byers RM. Cervical and parotid node dissection. In: Balch CM, Houghton AN, Milton GW, et al, eds. Cutaneous Melanoma. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: JB Lippincott; 1992.)
17.2 Staging of the Neck in Melanoma
In 2017, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Melanoma Task Force revised the staging system for cutaneous melanomas based upon the most current data from multiple trials and studies.12 Staging adheres to the traditional tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) classification system. This system classifies melanomas on the basis of their local, regional, and distant characteristics, as summarized in 
Fig. 17.2.
17.3 Treatment of Melanoma of the Neck
Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for CMM. Primary lesions are surgically excised to achieve negative margins based on tumor thickness. The size of surgical margins has been disputed with some authors advocating for narrow margins (1 cm) and others for wide margins (4–5 cm). However, multiple studies have demonstrated comparable rates of local control and survival with 2-cm margins (for intermediate-thickness melanoma) and 1-cm margins (for thinner lesions).13,14 Of course, primary surgical resection must also be balanced with its cosmetic and functional impacts with adequate understanding of head and neck anatomy. Importantly, appropriate treatment of cutaneous melanoma must include consideration of the neck.
17.4 Management of the Neck
17.4.1 The Node-Positive Neck
Current management of the neck in CMM is guided by the presence or absence of clinically positive neck disease. Nodal disease is associated with poorer disease-specific outcomes; therefore, evidence of regional spread necessitates treatment. Though the decision to treat the neck is not controversial in patients with neck disease, there is some controversy regarding the type of treatment needed.
Traditionally, management of clinically evident nodal disease consisted of a radical neck dissection (RND). Unfortunately, this was associated with significant comorbidities and functional deficits due to sacrifice of key structures. With the advent of more conservative procedures, it became apparent that more aggressive surgical management did not appear to decrease recurrence rates. Thus, surgeons treating melanoma followed the lead of surgeons treating head and neck cancer in becoming more conservative in their neck dissections.
In the 1990s, various authors reported modifications to the RND by limiting lymphadenectomies to nodal groups at highest risk for metastases. O’Brien et al15 observed this trend when they evaluated outcomes for 397 neck dissections performed for malignant melanoma. They noted increasing use of the modified radical neck dissections (MRND) and selective neck dissection (SND), and use of adjuvant radiation therapy. They found an overall regional recurrence rate of 24% regardless of which type of neck dissection was performed. Likewise, Turkula and Woods16 described their experience with 58 patients, all of whom had clinically positive neck disease. Among this group, 34 were treated with RND, 7 underwent MRD, and 17 were treated with SND. There were no significant differences in recurrence or survival rates between the three groups. More recently, these data were confirmed by Andersen et al,17 who retrospectively evaluated a series of 57 patients treated for regional metastases and compared the extent of neck dissection in regard to nodal recurrence and survival. Overall, the rate of recurrence was not statistically different between the groups. Five-year melanoma-specific survival was also similar between the RND, MRND, and SND. The rates of failure or recurrence within the neck were similar to those previously reported within the literature. Finally, a retrospective review sought to evaluate the extent of lymphadenectomy among patients with regional metastases. Supriya et al18 evaluated 97 patients with pathologically proven melanoma nodal metastases. From this group, 18 patients underwent comprehensive neck dissection (CND) and 79 were treated with SND. Analysis of the outcomes revealed no significant improvement in regional control or 5-year survival with CND.
