This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (36)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related letters  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Dermatologic Disorders  • Neoplasms  • Prognosis/ Outcomes  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Mohammed Kashani-Sabet, MD; Richard W. Sagebiel, MD; Carlos M. M. Ferreira, MD; Mehdi Nosrati, BS; James R. Miller III, PhD

Arch Dermatol. 2001;137:1169-1173.

Objective  To examine the role of vascular invasion as a prognostic factor in melanoma.

Design  Retrospective survival analysis.

Setting  Academic medical center.

Patients  A total of 526 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma from the University of California, San Francisco, Melanoma Center database with 2 years of follow-up or documented relapse.

Main Outcome Measures  (1) Presence of vascular involvement defined as vascular invasion with tumor cells within blood or lymphatic vessels; or uncertain vascular invasion, with melanoma cells immediately adjacent to the endothelium. (2) Percentage with metastasis or death and relapse-free and overall survival.

Results  The presence of either type of vascular involvement significantly increased the risk of relapse and death and reduced the survival associated with melanoma. The impact of vascular involvement on these outcomes was similar to that of ulceration. In a multivariate analysis, vascular involvement was the second most important factor (after tumor thickness) in the primary tumor in predicting survival.

Conclusions  Vascular involvement is an important independent predictor of metastasis and survival in melanoma. The phenomenon of uncertain vascular invasion describes an earlier step than definite vascular invasion in tumor progression.

From the Melanoma Center, Cutaneous Oncology Program, Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

RELATED LETTERS

A Seeming Failure of Logic
A. Bernard Ackerman
Arch Dermatol. 2006;142(2):244-245.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Seeming Failure of Logic—Reply
Mohammed Kashani-Sabet and Richard W. Sagebiel
Arch Dermatol. 2006;142(2):245.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Lymphatic Invasion Identified by Monoclonal Antibody D2-40, Younger Age, and Ulceration: Predictors of Sentinel Lymph Node Involvement in Primary Cutaneous Melanoma
Niakosari et al.
Arch Dermatol 2008;144:462-467.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prognostic Significance of Nuclear Receptor Coactivator-3 Overexpression in Primary Cutaneous Melanoma
Rangel et al.
JCO 2006;24:4565-4569.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A seeming failure of logic.
Ackerman
Arch Dermatol 2006;142:244-245.
FULL TEXT  

A Seeming Failure of Logic--Reply
Kashani-Sabet and Sagebiel
Arch Dermatol 2006;142:245-245.
FULL TEXT  

The Role of Microsatellites as a Prognostic Factor in Primary Malignant Melanoma
Shaikh et al.
Arch Dermatol 2005;141:739-742.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Detection of Lymphatic Invasion in Primary Melanoma With Monoclonal Antibody D2-40: A New Selective Immunohistochemical Marker of Lymphatic Endothelium
Niakosari et al.
Arch Dermatol 2005;141:440-444.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

NF-{kappa}B in the Vascular Progression of Melanoma
Kashani-Sabet et al.
JCO 2004;22:617-623.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Significance of Vascular Invasion in Primary Melanomas of Thin or Intermediate Thickness
Lambert
Arch Dermatol 2003;139:809-809.
FULL TEXT  

The Significance of Vascular Invasion in Primary Melanomas of Thin or Intermediate Thickness--Reply
Ackerman
Arch Dermatol 2003;139:810-810.
FULL TEXT  

Tumor Lymphangiogenesis: A Novel Prognostic Indicator for Cutaneous Melanoma Metastasis and Survival
Dadras et al.
Am. J. Pathol. 2003;162:1951-1960.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

An Inaccuracy in an Otherwise Solid Study
Ackerman
Arch Dermatol 2002;138:1098-1099.
FULL TEXT  

Thin Melanomas and Regression, Thick Melanomas and Older Men: Prognostic Implications and Perspectives on Secondary Prevention
Demierre
Arch Dermatol 2002;138:678-682.
FULL TEXT  

Prognostic Significance of Vascular Invasion by Melanoma
Journal Watch Dermatology 2001;2001:2-2.
FULL TEXT