Abstract:

Background: Information from histological microstaging is used worldwide by clinicians to make a uniform system for accurate appropriate management of patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma and to provide a basis for prognosis assessment. Histological microstaging has been studied in Western Countries, but little has been done in developing countries such as Uganda in which all previous reports on CMM have been limited to other aspects of histological features but not to the overall histological microstaging. It is also not known whether microstaging is related to histological features of tumour in Africa and thus prognosis. The objective of this study was to document the histological microstaging of cutaneous malignant melanoma in Ugandan patients and relate this staging to the histological features of the tumour.

Methodology: This was an analytical cross-section study design using CMM stored samples in the Department of Pathology Makerere University. Two hundred and seventeen paraffin embedded specimen blocks were retrieved, resectioned, stained, examined microscopically and microstaged. The tumour thickness and demographic features were assessed to determine the variation of Breslow’s thickness, demographic and histological features of patients with CMM.

Results: Sample of 217 patients, 23-83 years of age, median age 53-38 were rectrieved from Makerere University Pathology archives with aim of studying quantifiable histological parameters in relation to clinic-demographic features. Thick tumours were predominantly found in males and the age range of 40-69 years. The commonest tumour site was lower extremities (92.2%) followed by upper extremities (3.7%) with lowest number seen in the trunk only in males. There was correlation between tumour thickness and ulceration (P = 0.033) but no correlation between tumour thickness and mitotic features (P = 0.202).