Residual tumor on wide excisional margins after treatment of invasive melanoma

Background/Aim: The surgical management of invasive melanoma has been debated for many years and recommended excisional margins have been established. We aimed to describe the factors and survival related to the presence of residual tumor in patients with invasive melanoma lymph nodes negative. Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective study by querying the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2015. Associations were tested using a multivariate analysis. Overall survival was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: A total of 26,440 patients met the inclusion criteria. For Breslow depth groups ≥1 mm and >2 mm, older age and location in the head and neck were factors associated to residual tumor in margins (p<0.05), whereas only location in the head and neck was associated to residual tumor for patients with Breslow depth between 1.01-2.00 mm (p<0.05). Conclusion: Knowledge of the factors associated with the residual tumor will help establish a patient-centered management and decrease the recurrence of disease.