Publication year
2016Source
Head and Neck : Journal for the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck, 38, 1, (2016), pp. 147-55ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Otorhinolaryngology
Journal title
Head and Neck : Journal for the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck
Volume
vol. 38
Issue
iss. 1
Page start
p. 147
Page end
p. 55
Subject
Radboudumc 9: Rare cancers RIHS: Radboud Institute for Health SciencesAbstract
Primary mucosal melanomas (PMMs) of the head and neck are uncommon malignancies that arise mainly in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, followed by the oral cavity. The mainstay of treatment is radical surgical resection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy in selected patients with high-risk features. Multimodality therapy has not been well studied and is not standardized. Adjuvant radiotherapy seems to improve locoregional control but does not improve overall survival (OS). Elective neck dissection is advocated in patients with oral PMM. Systemic therapy should be considered only for patients with metastatic or unresectable locoregional disease. Despite improvements in the field of surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy, patients with PMM still face a very unfavorable prognosis (5-year disease-free survival [DFS] <20%) with high rates of locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis. The present review aims to summarize the current state of knowledge on the molecular biology, pathological diagnosis, and management of this disease. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 147-155, 2016.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [227437]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [86157]
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