Malignant melanoma: epidemiological study of cases diagnosed at a dermatologi- cal reference center in the city of Bauru, in the Brazilian southeast State of São Paulo,

Introduction: The trends of malignant melanoma in Brazil are aligned with those worldwide: increasing incidence with reduced degree of severity at diagnosis. Objective: To use the prognostic criteria of the Grupo Multicêntrico e Multidisciplinar Brasileiro para Estudo do Melanoma (Brazilian Multicenter and Multidisciplinary Group for the Study of Melanoma) combined with clinical characteristics aimed at developing a clinical and histopathological profile of melanoma cases. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out, with the retrospective analysis of medical records of patients diagnosed with melanoma at a tertiary dermatology reference unit in the city of Bauru, in the Brazilian southeast State of São Paulo, between January 2007 and July 2014. Results: Female patients accounted for 56.2%, with ages ranging from 27 to 95 years (Mean = 61.4 years), with a lesion having been detected on physical examination in 36% of cases. The highest incidence of the disease was in the lower limbs (23.5%), with the superficial spreading subtype corresponding to 79.6% of biopsies. The average Breslow thickness was 2.9 mm, and in 28.1% of cases, the lesion was in situ. Conclusions: The following profile emerged: women, 61-years-old, with lesions in the lower limbs, superficial spreading subtype and with evidence of good prognostic. Studies like this are important due to the fact they provide subsidies for the design of strategies to treat the population.