Are there other factors with prognostic impact in patients with melanoma?

The strongest predictors of prognosis are Breslow’s depth, presence of ulceration in the primary tumor, and presence of nodal disease. Secondary predictors of prognosis include the number of positive lymph nodes, extension of the tumor into extranodal soft tissue, age at time of diagnosis, sex (women >men), and anatomic site of primary tumor. In this regard, extremities, excluding the hands and feet, have the most favorable prognosis, while lesions on the scalp, hands, feet, and mucosal surfaces have the worst.

Balch CM, Seng-Jaw S, Gershenwald JE, et al: Prognostic factors analysis of 17,600 melanoma patients: validation of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging System, J Clin Oncol 19:3622–3634, 2001.

Mohr P, Eggermont AM, Hauschild A, Buzaid A: Staging of cutaneous melanoma, Ann Oncol 20(Suppl 6):vi14–vi21, 2009.