Publication date: Oct 09, 2024
Presence of positive biopsy margins in melanoma can provoke anxiety over potential disease progression from delays to surgical excision, but their impact on outcomes is unknown. We aimed to compare the presence of residual melanoma in the surgical excision specimen and survival between patients with negative, microscopically positive, and macroscopically positive biopsy margins. Patients with cutaneous melanoma who underwent surgical excision over a 13-year period were included. Biopsy characteristics, residual disease in the surgical specimen, and overall and recurrence-free survival were compared between patients with negative, microscopically positive (only scar visible), and macroscopically positive (visible remaining melanoma) biopsy margins. Of 901 patients, 42. 4%, 33. 3%, and 24. 3% had negative, microscopically positive, and macroscopically positive margins, respectively. The incidence of residual invasive melanoma in the surgical specimen varied (P
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Biopsy | Biopsy margins |
| Invasive | Melanoma |
| Melanoma | Recurrence |
| Microscopically | Residual disease |
| Survival | |
| Wide local excision |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Melanoma |
| pathway | KEGG | Melanoma |
| disease | MESH | anxiety |
| disease | MESH | disease progression |
| disease | MESH | recurrence |
| disease | MESH | scar |