Características clínico-patológicas del Melanoma Maligno en Pacientes del Hospital Hernán Henríquez Aravena de Temuco.

The primary malignant melanoma of the skin is a neoplasia originating in melanocytes, which is more common in women affecting, mainly, lower limbs. The aim of our work is to describe the clinical-pathological characteristics of this neoplasia in patients of Hernan Henriquez Aravena Hospital in Temuco from 1995 to 2008. The sex variable was considered in order to identify the variations in both groups. A retrospective study was performed, where medical records and anatomy-pathological reports of 170 patients carrying malignant melanoma, were reviewed. The ratio man: woman was 1.1:1. The variables, such as, itching, pain, bleeding, diameter, shape, edges, pigmentation, ulceration, uprising (upheaval) and thickness according to Breslow, were not significantly associated with sex. A significant association between sex and site (p=0.001), as well as sex and diameter of the lesion (p= 0.0031) was found. The more frequent Clark level in women was IV, with 42%, this was followed by level I or melanoma in situ; level IV was more common in men, with 33%, this was followed by level V (p= 0.041). Considering the national and foreign literature, some differences were found in our research. These differences are mainly seen in sex distribution, in the topographic distribution of the lesions, in some clinical-pathological variables of significant diagnosis and in the state of the lesions at diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]