Local recurrence rates are low for patients with invasive head and neck melanoma treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), according to a study published online Jan. 12 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology .

Brandon T. Beal, M.D., from Jacksonville Skin Cancer Specialists in Florida, and colleagues examined local recurrence, nodal recurrence, and distant recurrence rates and disease-specific survival for invasive melanoma of the head and neck treated with MMS in a retrospective multicenter study involving 785 cases.

The researchers found that the local recurrence, nodal recurrence, and distant recurrence rates were 0.51, 1.0, and 1.1 percent, respectively, in the overall cohort. Local recurrence was 0.16, 1.18, 2.22, and 5.26 percent for T1, T2, T3, and T4 tumors, respectively. Disease-specific survival was 96.8 and 93.4 percent at five and 10 years, respectively.

"These data support modification to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for the treatment of invasive melanoma of the head and neck," the authors write. "The clear advantage of MMS revolves around complete peripheral and deep margin assessment. Applying this paradigm to the treatment of melanoma, and surgical oncology in general, will improve oncological cure rates and outcomes for our patients."

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