Korean J Dermatol.
2021 Nov;59(9):659-668.
Clinical Characteristics of Early Onset Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma in Korea
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea
Abstract
- Background
Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) develops mainly in the elderly, although it is often seen in young patients and in clinical practice. However, there are few studies on the clinical features of young patients with CMM in Korea.
Objective
To investigate the clinical characteristics of young Korean patients with CMM.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with CMM between January 2009 and June 2019 and compared the clinical features of CMM in patients aged 10∼39 and 50∼79 years.
Results
Of the 341 patients with CMM, only 22 (6.5%) were between the age of 10∼39 and 250 (73.3%) were aged 50∼79. Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) was the most common clinical subtype in both groups (45.5% and 71.2%, respectively). Subungual melanoma was more common in age 10∼39 years (27.3% vs. 17.2%), whereas ALM except subungual melanoma was more common in age 50∼79 years (18.2% vs. 54.0%). Superficial spreading melanoma (31.8%) was also a significant subtype observed in age 10∼39 years (p＜0.001). Frequently involved locations in age group 10∼39 were fingers (27.3%) and trunk (22.7%), but feet (40.8%) were common in age group 50∼79 (p=0.009). There were no differences in mean Breslow thickness, lymph node metastases, or staging of CMM (p＞0.05).
Conclusion
Compared with elderly patients, CMM in patients aged 10∼39 showed differences in the location of the lesion and clinical subtype. Therefore, a misdiagnosis can be prevented when a young patient has suspected CMM on the finger or trunk.
