Analysis of KIT gene mutations in patients with melanoma of the head and neck mucosa: a retrospective clinical report.

Unlike their cutaneous counterparts, head and neck mucosal malignant melanomas (HNMM) are more aggressive, and their prognostic markers have not been fully elucidated. This study, comprising 28 patients with HNMM, aimed to establish the relationship between different mutations and outcome, define the incidence of KIT mutations in HNMM, and identify the correlation among therapeutic options, histopathological findings, demographic data, and clinical response. Clinical analysis included patient characteristics, staging, primary and palliative treatments, and disease-free survival and overall survival (OS).

Prognostic factors of a good response to initial therapy in children and adolescents with differentiated thyroid cancer.

Background: Therapeutic approaches in pediatric populations are based on adult data because there is a lack of appropriate data for children. Consequently, there are many controversies regarding the proper treatment of pediatric patients.

Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma diagnosed before 20 years of age and to determine the factors associated with the response to the initial therapy.