ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2016
Is a Wider Margin (2 cm vs. 1 cm) for a 1.01-2.0 mm Melanoma Necessary?
Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Narrow Excision Margins for Diverse Histological Subtypes of Cutaneous Melanoma in Children and Adults: A Systematic Review.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Pooled it
- Quality of Surgery and Outcome in Localized Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Treated Within an International Intergroup Randomized Clinical Trial of Adjuvant Imatinib.JAMA surgery · 2020Trial
- Excision margins and prognosis in cutaneous melanoma: retrospective population-based cohort study.BJS open · 2025Article
- Comparison of 1-cm Versus 2-cm Excision Margins for Cutaneous Melanoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2025Review
- Surgical margin reduction in excision of cutaneous melanoma: A retrospective analysis.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2025Article
- Best practices in surgical and nonsurgical management of head and neck Merkel cell carcinoma: An update.Molecular carcinogenesis · 2023Article
- Wide local excision for Merkel cell carcinoma of the lower extremity: A case report.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2022Article
- Re-biopsy of partially sampled thin melanoma impacts sentinel lymph node sampling as well as surgical margins.Melanoma management · 2019Article
- Resection Margins in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Is a 1-cm Margin Wide Enough?Annals of surgical oncology · 2018Article
- Review of diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers in melanoma.Clinical & experimental metastasis · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe current NCCN recommendation for resection margins in patients with melanomas between 1.01 and 2 mm deep is a 1-2 cm radial margin. We sought to determine whether margin width had an impact on local recurrence (LR), disease-specific survival (DSS), and type of wound closure.
methodsMelanomas measuring 1.01-2.0 mm were evaluated at a single institution between 2008 and 2013. All patients had a 1 or 2 cm margin.
resultsWe identified 965 patients who had a 1 cm (n = 302, 31.3 %) or 2 cm margin (n = 663, 68.7 %). Median age was 64 years, and 592 (61.3 %) were male; 32.5 and 48.7 % of head and neck and extremity patients had a 1 cm margin versus 18.9 % of trunk patients (p < 0.001). LR was 2.0 and 2.1 % for a 1 and 2 cm margin, respectively (p = not significant). Five-year DSS was 87 % for a 1 cm margin and 85 % for a 2 cm margin (p = not significant). Breslow thickness, melanoma on the head and neck, lymphovascular invasion, and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) status significantly predicted LR on univariate analysis; however, only location and SLNB status were associated with LR on multivariate analysis. Margin width was not significant for LR or DSS. Wider margins were associated with more frequent graft or flap use only on the head and neck (p = 0.025).
conclusionsOur data show that selectively using a narrower margin of 1 cm did not increase the risk of LR or decrease DSS. Avoiding a 2 cm margin may decrease the need for graft/flap use on the head and neck.
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