Patterns of Recurrence in Patients with Stage IIIB/C Cutaneous Melanoma of the Head and Neck Following Surgery With and Without Adjuvant Radiation Therapy: Is Isolated Regional Recurrence Salvageable?

Understanding recurrence patterns is vital for guiding treatment. This study describes recurrence patterns for patients with stage IIIB/C head and neck melanoma (HNM) after therapeutic lymph node dissection (TLND) ± adjuvant radiation therapy (RT). We also report outcomes for salvage therapy for patients with isolated regional relapse.A single-institution prospective database of 173 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage IIIB/C HNM undergoing TLND between 1997 and 2012 was retrospectively reviewed. Timing and patterns of recurrence were reviewed. Univariable and multivariable analyses were undertaken using the Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods to determine factors predictive of recurrence. Median follow-up was 32 months.Adjuvant RT was administered to 66/173 (38 %) patients. Patients selected for RT had a higher AJCC stage and had more extracapsular invasion. The 5-year distant, cervical nodal and in-transit recurrence rates were 38, 10, and 13 %, respectively, following surgery alone compared with 60, 17, and 31 %, respectively, for the adjuvant RT group. The head and neck regional 5-year recurrence rate (combining in-basin nodal and in-transit) was 23 % for the entire cohort. Isolated cervical recurrence occurred in 19 patients: 17/19 underwent salvage surgery (10/17 patients received RT after salvage surgery) and 2/19 had RT alone. However, distant recurrence occurred in 12/19 salvage patients, with most occurring within 12 months, while 4/19 were disease free.Using a selective approach for adjuvant RT, isolated cervical recurrence after TLND is uncommon. Isolated cervical recurrence can be salvaged effectively with further local therapy; however, distant disease frequently follows.