Survival of cutaneous malignant melanoma patients at university of lowa hospitals: 1950–1974

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Abstract
Survival of 387 patients treated for cutaneous malignant melanoma at University of Iowa Hospitals during the period 1950–1974 was analyzed. For the entire period, the observed five-year survivals were 57% for women and 33% for men; the corresponding ten-year survivals were 43 and 23%. For both men and women, there was an impressive improvement in outcome between the earliest and the latest periods, so that for 1970–1974, the five-year observed survival was 68% for women and 49% for men. Data are presented on mean age at diagnosis, distribution by stage, site, and sex, and survival by site and sex. The question is raised whether the biologic nature of malignant melanoma is variable, so that increased incidence is associated with better prognosis.