Staged Excision for Lentigo Maligna and Lentigo Maligna Melanoma: Analysis of Surgical Margins and Long-term Recurrence in 68 Cases from a Single Practice.

INTRODUCTION: Lentigo maligna is a form of in situ melanoma that occurs commonly on sun-exposed skin of middle-aged to elderly adults. Margin-control surgery offers the highest cure rate for lentigo maligna/lentigo maligna melanoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Charts from the authors' private office from the 20-year period from January 1986 to December 2005 were reviewed to identify patients with histologically confirmed lentigo maligna or lentigo maligna melanoma treated by staged excision.

RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients (39 men, 29 women; mean age at diagnosis 67.4±10.2 years, range 48-87 years) with 68 tumors were treated in the authors' office for lentigo maligna (58) or lentigo maligna melanoma (10) between January 1986 and December 2005. After excision, patients were followed clinically for a minimum of three years. The mean follow-up duration was 138 months (median 139 months; range 37-330 months). The overall margin for tumor clearance was 7.0±0.55mm with a recurrence rate of 5.9 percent.

LIMITATIONS: The limitations of this study include the retrospective nature of the authors' review, and data collected from a single, private practice setting.

CONCLUSION: The authors' findings support staged excision as an effective method of treating lentigo maligna and lentigo maligna melanoma, offering a high cure rate while maximally preserving normal tissue.