Impact of Excision Margins on Survival and Recurrence Rate in Patients With Thick Melanoma (>2mm)

Objective: To investigated the impact of the excision of melanoma 2mm≤ in thickness with 1cm surgical margins on survival of the patients compared with 2 cm surgical margins. Background: Early recognition and appropriate excision play a crucial role in management of malignant melanoma, while the size of surrounding normal skin that should be excised is area of controversies. Methods: The investigators will conduct a retrospective population-based survey in patients with primary melanoma 2 mm≤ in thickness undergoing tumor excision with 1 cm and 2 cm margins in the investigators center. For both groups, the patients' charts reviewed for data including patient gender, age, tumor location, tumor type, Clark's level, Breslow thickness, tumor type, presence of ulceration, findings of sentinel nodes, local recurrences, locoregional metastases, disease free survival and overall survival were calculated for both groups.