Lymphatic and blood vasculature in primary cutaneous melanomas of the scalp and neck

Abstract

Background: Scalp/neck melanomas have a poor prognosis, possibly because of a rich vascular supply that prompts tumor cells' dissemination.

Methods: We compared the accuracy of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with morphology for the identification of lymphovascular invasion in 156 scalp/neck melanomas. We then analyzed the association of vessel invasion and density with pathological features and survival.

Results: IHC-detected lymphatic vessel invasion (LVI) and blood vessel invasion (BVI) were identified in 34.6% and 13.5% of cases, respectively. IHC increased the LVI/BVI detection compared to morphology (40.4% vs 16.6%; p < .001). The degree of peritumoral and intratumoral blood vessel density (BVD) was greater than lymphatic vessel density (LVD). Ulceration was the only factor independently associated with intratumoral (p = .029) and peritumoral (p = .047) BVD. Tumor thickness was the only independent predictor of survival (p = .002).

Conclusion: IHC allows accurate assessment of lymphovascular invasion in scalp/neck melanomas. In these tumors, we observed a high incidence of BVI, which deserves further investigations.

Keywords: blood vessel density; blood vessel invasion; cutaneous melanoma; head and neck; lymphatic vessel density; lymphatic vessels invasion; scalp and neck.