A Survival Analysis of Chinese Patients with Gastrointestinal Mucosal Melanomas: A Single-Centre Retrospective Study

Abstract

Aim: Mucosal melanomas are highly malignant tumors that are of great interest for their aggressive behaviour and unfavourable prognosis, which could be the result of many reasons. In this paper, we describe a retrospective study performed to investigate the characteristics and prognoses of gastrointestinal mucosal melanomas in a Chinese population to help future clinicians recognize the prognosis of this disease. Methods: We retrospectively studied 49 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal mucosal melanomas. Multivariate analysis of prognosis and overall survival (OS) was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The multivariate analysis showed that the condition of the primary or metastatic tumor and tumor location were independent factors that affected the prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal mucosal melanomas. Patients with metastatic tumors had a better prognosis than patients with primary tumors, and tumors that occurred in the lower gastrointestinal tract had a better prognosis than those that occurred in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Conclusion: Tumor location and the condition of the primary or metastatic tumor may be independent factors that affect the prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal mucosal melanomas.