Excision margins for melanomas: how wide is enough?
Mené sur 900 patients atteints d'un mélanome primitif cutané à haut risque de récidive et traités par chirurgie entre 1992 et 2001 (durée médiane de suivi : 8,8 ans), cet essai international compare la survie spécifique et la survie globale des patients en fonction de la taille des marges de résection (1 ou 3 cm)
The main aim of surgery in treating any cancer is to completely excise the tumour, thereby preventing local recurrence. In the case of melanoma, the purpose of a wide excision is to remove local micrometastases and otherwise phenotypically normal tissue that might be harbouring genotypically abnormal cells located in either the surrounding cutis or superficial lymphatics, while at the same time trying to prevent unacceptable functional and cosmetic harm to the patient as a result.
The Lancet Oncology , commentaire, 2015