What stage is in transit melanoma?

The presence of in-transit metastases indicates either N2 or N3 status under the current AJCC TNM system, and is classified as stage IIIB or C disease, respectively. In-transit melanoma carries a poor prognosis, with 5-year survival rates ranging from 25% to 30% in most reports [12, 20, 21].

What is an in transit melanoma?

In transit metastases (ITM) from extremity or trunk melanomas are subcutaneous or cutaneous lymphatic deposits of melanoma cells, distant from the primary site but not reaching the draining nodal basin.

What is the stage of in transit metastasis?

A type of metastasis in which skin cancer spreads through a lymph vessel and begins to grow more than 2 centimeters away from the primary tumor but before it reaches the nearest lymph node.

What does it mean to have in transit melanoma?

In transit metastases (ITM) from extremity or trunk melanomas are subcutaneous or cutaneous lymphatic deposits of melanoma cells, distant from the primary site but not reaching the draining nodal basin.

Which is worse nodal or satellite in transit melanoma?

Patients with both satellites/in-transit metastases and nodal metastases have a worse prognosis than patients who have either satellites/in-transit metastases or nodal metastases alone. [4,7] Consequently, the presence of a satellite or in-transit metastasis in addition to one or more positive lymph nodes is staged as N3. [3,8]

How big is the margin of excision for in transit melanoma?

There are no evidence-based data to support a particular width of peripheral margins of excision for in-transit metastases, and the wide local excision guidelines for a primary lesion do not apply. A single cutaneous metastasis can be narrowly resected, and we typically utilize a 5-mm gross margin.

What makes a melanoma a stage IV tumor?

The presence of distant metastases, including nonregional lymph node involvement, places a melanoma in stage IV irrespective of the other tumor attributes. In contrast, sentinel node metastases, in transit metastases, satellite metastases and microsatellites are not considered distant metastases. These findings affect the pN category but not pM.