Hard Palate Melanoma: A Population-based Analysis of Epidemiology and Survival Outcomes

Background/Aim: Hard palate melanoma is an extremely rare and aggressive tumor arising from the mucosal epithelium of the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiology, loco-regional treatment patterns and survival outcomes of this disease. Materials and Methods: The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was searched for all cases of hard palate melanoma diagnosed between 1973 and 2012. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate overall survival rate, log-rank test to compare survivals of different subgroups, and Cox hazard regression analysis to determine independent predictors of overall survival. Results: Overall, 83 patients were identified, 49 female and 34 males. The distribution among ages was: 13.3% < 50 years, 38.6% between 50 and 69 years, 48.2% >= 70. Surgery alone was applied in 48.2% of patients, radiation therapy alone in 6%, and combination of surgery and radiation therapy in 33.7%. Overall 5-year survival was 26.3%. Survival with adjuvant radiation therapy was not longer than with surgery alone. Conclusion: Hard palate melanoma is a rare malignancy mostly affecting the elderly, with low overall survival. The main treatment is surgical resection, while adjuvant radiotherapy does not improve survival. The establishment of an international registry is warranted to better define treatment options.