Summary: 208 stage I malignant melanoma patients were followed up after radical excision of their tumours for 5 -8 years. Tumours were characterized with respect to the well known prognostic parameters (especially the thickness, level of invasion, the presence of vertical growth phase, mitotic rate, presence of ulcer and/or satellites) and patients were divided into three groups according to the low, intermediate or high progression risk. There were no differences in the course of the disease within these three groups with respect to the presence or absence of the inflammatory infiltrate. The discuccion is directed as well to the results of more modern investigations of the cellular infiltrate (immunohistology, functional studies).
Have inflamatory cell infiltrates in malignant melanoma some prognostic significance?
