Primary Cutaneous Melanoma: Prognostic Factors Not Included in the Classification of the American Joint Committee on Cancer

Skin histopathology reports of melanoma routinely include important prognostic information used in the staging system of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). This information, which influences disease management, includes tumor depth, presence of ulceration, number of mitotic figures, and presence or absence of microsatellites. However, numerous studies have found many other factors that are not included in the AJCC classification but that are nevertheless of prognostic significance. We discuss these factors in this paper

ResumenEn un informe rutinario dermatopatológico sobre un melanoma se recoge una significativa información pronóstica para el manejo de estos pacientes y que actualmente es empleada en la estadificación de la American Joint Committee on Cancer como el grosor tumoral, la presencia de ulceración, el número de mitosis y la presencia o no de microsatelitosis. Sin embargo, existen múltiples factores que si bien no están incluidos en esta clasificación, han demostrado tener un impacto pronóstico en diversos estudios y que son objeto del presente texto.