This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Correction  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (3)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Dermatology  • Radiation Therapy  • Melanoma  • Alert me on articles by topic

Howard A. Oriba, MD; Robert Stanley, MD; Stephen N. Snow, MD; Frederic E. Mohs, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1998;124:199-201.

We describe a 77-year-old man with stage III oral malignant melanoma (Breslow thickness, 4.0 mm) treated with Mohs micrographic surgery by fixed-tissue technique, elective lymph node dissection, and postoperative radiation therapy. This treatment plan permitted complete excision of the melanomatous field, sparing the need for radical resection. Although the patient later died of widespread metastases, there was no evidence of local or regional recurrence and his quality of life was preserved. We believe that Mohs micrographic surgery by fixed-tissue technique followed by radiation therapy offers a safe and alternative treatment option for deep melanomas in the oral cavity.

From the Department of Surgery, Division of Mohs Surgery, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (Drs Oriba, Snow, and Mohs), and the Department of Otolaryngology, Dean Medical Center (Dr Stanley), Madison, Wis.