Minimum Safe Pathologic Excision Margins for Primary Cutaneous Melanomas (1–2 mm in Thickness): Analysis of 2131 Patients Treated at a Single Center

Objective This study was designed to determine the minimum safe pathologic excision margin for primary cutaneous melanomas 1.01–2.00-mm thick (T2) and to identify prognostic factors that influence survival in these patients. Background Several studies have shown previously that “narrow” clinical excision margins (1–2 cm in vivo) are as safe as “wide” excision margins (4–5 cm) for management of primary T2 melanomas. However, pathologic margins are likely to be a better predictor of recurrence than clinical margins. Methods Clinicopathologic and follow-up data for 2131 T2 melanoma patients treated at Melanoma Institute Australia between January 1992 and May 2012 were analyzed. Results Of the 2131 patients, those who had a pathologic excision margin of