Clinical-morphological characteristics of cutaneous and mucosal melanoma in the head and neck region: a comparative study.

Introduction: Head and neck melanoma constitutes approximately 25% of all melanomas and is classified according to its origin in cutaneous, ocular, or mucosal melanoma; each with specific clinical, morphological, and molecular characteristics that determine the prognosis and treatment plan. The factors associated with the unfavorable prognosis of mucosal melanoma are the difficulty of anatomical inspection that leads to late diagnosis and the surgical difficulty in removing and controlling the neoplasm. Objectives: To compare the clinical-morphological characteristics of cutaneous, ocular, and mucosal melanoma diagnosed in the Surgical Pathology Laboratory of the Hospital General de México “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga” from 2000 to 2020. Material and Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, retrospective study was carried out. The clinical database of all the selected slides was reviewed to obtain epidemiological information on the study population. The morphological characteristics in the slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin were evaluated with an optical microscope at 10x and 40x; pathological staging characteristics were analyzed for each anatomical region. Results: The most frequent melanoma was cutaneous (45%), followed by ocular (33%) and mucosal (22%); the most significant number of cases was identified in the facial region, orbit, and sinonasal mucosa, respectively. Morphologic differences by location include tumor thickness, ulceration, and the number of mitoses. Conclusions: In mucosal and ocular melanoma, characteristics of increased tumor thickness and a high number of mitoses predominate, probably associated with late diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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