Summary
Oncologically acceptable excision margins in melanoma surgery are still under discussion. To evaluate the trend towards a more conservative surgical approach and the pattern of defect coverage, 422 patients were studied retrospectively over a ten year period. The incidence of melanoma types, sex related differences in tumor distribution, and procedures for defect coverage were analyzed. There was a significant decrease in excision margins over the study period. This correlated with a steady increase in primary or local flap closure. As far as follow-up results are concerned, there was no higher local recurrence rate after more conservative excision margins and primary/local flap closure.
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Germann, G., Doertenbach, J., Inglis, R. et al. Defect coverage in malignant melanoma. Eur J Plast Surg 13, 52–54 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177806
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177806