Anal melanoma: Outcomes of current surgical approaches

Abstract

Aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of the patients with anal melanoma (AM), who underwent surgical treatment.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Kartal Training and Research Hospital between January 2010 and December 2017. All patients, who underwent surgical resection with a diagnosis of AM, were enrolled.

Results: A total of 10 patients were examined, 8 of them were females, and their average age was 69.2 years (range, 47–85 years). Abdominoperineal resection (APR) was performed in five (50%) patients, and local excision (LE) was performed in other five (50%) patients. Three patients (30%) had stage I disease, two (20%) had stage II disease, and five (50%) had stage III disease. All five patients in APR group had stage III disease. In the comparison of the survival period after surgery, the mean survival period of the APR group was 6.2 months (range, 1–16 months) while that of the LE group was 19.6 months (range, 7–43 months).

Conclusion: LE with adjuvant radiation seems to offer good locoregional control without reducing the survival and may be an option of treatment for patients with small, superficial AM. However, APR should be offered for patients with locally advanced disease or as a salvage following recurrence.

Keywords: Abdominoperineal resection, anal melanoma, local excision