Table 1.
Patient characteristics and features of external ear melanoma
| Sex (%) | |
| Male | 87 (52/60) |
| Female | 13 (8/60) |
| Age (y) | |
| Mean | 57 |
| Median | 56 |
| Range | 16–97 |
| Location (%) | |
| Left ear | 52 (31/60) |
| Right ear | 48 (29/60) |
| Previous skin cancer (%) | 27 (16/60) |
| BCC | 13 (8/60)* |
| SCC | 7 (4/60) |
| Melanoma | 7 (4/60) |
| Pathology (%) | |
| Superficial spreading | 33 (20/60) |
| Lentigo | 20 (12/60) |
| Nodular | 18 (11/60) |
| Demoplastic | 5 (3/60) |
| Malig blue nevus | 2 (1/60) |
| Spindle | 2 (1/60) |
| Not defined | 23 (14/60) |
| Clark level (%) | |
| I | 3 (2/60) |
| II | 13 (8/60) |
| III | 15 (9/60) |
| IV | 68 (41/60) |
| Breslow level (mm) | |
| Mean | 1.65 |
| Median (range) | 1.22 (in situ–5) |
| Overall follow-up (mo) | |
| Mean | 40.4 |
| Median (range) | 37.5 (1–129) |
| Time to recurrence (mo) | |
| Mean (range) | 29 |
| Median | 16 |
| Range | 5–92 |
| Recurrence (%) | 33.3 (20/60) |
| None | 66.6 (40/60) |
| Local | 15 (9/60) |
| Metastatic | 12 (7/60) |
| Both | 7 (4/60) |
BCC = basal cell carcinoma; SCC = squamous cell carcinoma.
*
One patient had both melanoma and basal cell skin cancer before the diagnosis and treatment of the external ear melanoma.