Sinonasal mucosal melanomas: the prognostic value of tumor classifications.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of the 3 staging systems found in the literature for sinonasal mucosal melanomas tumors: the Ballantyne staging system modified by Prasad (Ballantyne/Prasad staging system), the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM classification for mucosal melanomas (mmTNM), and the 2009 AJCC TNM classification for carcinomas of the nasal cavity and sinuses (carTNM).

METHODS

A retrospective study of 35 patients treated between 1995 and 2010 was conducted for this study. Each patient was retrospectively staged using the Ballantyne/Prasad staging system, mmTNM, and carTNM.

RESULTS

There were 20 women (57.1%) and 15 men (42.9%). Only carTNM was significantly correlated with overall survival (p = .012) and disease-free survival (p = .041). The other 2 classifications were not correlated with survival except for metastatic patients whose overall survival was lower (p = .032).

CONCLUSION

On the basis of these findings, we believe that carTNM should be the primary staging system for patients with mucosal melanomas of the sinonasal tract