Recurrence potential of thin primary XXXX .

@entity1 @entity75 @entity320 @entity3
Between April 1971 and January 1985, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Division of Surgical Oncology has seen 649 @entity1 diagnosed with thin primary @entity320 , as defined by a Clark level less than IV and Breslow depth less than 0.76 mm. Thirty-six @entity1 , whose primary diagnosis was confirmed by UCLA pathologists, presented with or subsequently developed @entity320 @entity3 . Twenty-four (67%) had Clark level II lesions, whereas the remaining 12 (33%) had Clark level III lesions. @entity3 were noted more frequently in @entity1 than in @entity1 , with a @entity1 -to- @entity1 ratio of 3 to 2. The site of the @entity75 in this group was most frequently on the trunk (16 of 36 cases, 44%), followed by the head and neck (9 of 36 cases, 25%) and arm and shoulder (7 of 36 cases, 19%). Metastasizing thin lesions were least likely to occur on the leg and hip (4 of 36 cases, 11%). Twenty of these lesions were recently reexamined, and 17 of 20 cases (85%) demonstrated evidence of regression. Twenty-eight @entity1 (78%) had their first @entity3 to regional lymph nodes. Fifteen remained alive with no evidence of disease at a median follow-up of 99 months. Twenty @entity1 died from systemic @entity3 , and one @entity1 was alive with brain metastasis at the time of this article. Although infrequent, @entity3 from thin @entity320 do occur, suggesting the need for careful long-term follow-up and immediate investigation of adenopathy even in low-risk @entity1 .
