Analysis of survival of patients with cutaneous melanoma by location including investigation of desmoplastic and nodular melanoma subtypes.

Melanoma is a deadly cancer and Australians have the highest rate of melanoma worldwide. Several factors affect long-term melanoma survival including the part of the body on which a melanoma is located. This research thesis explores in greater detail which bodily locations are associated with worse survival for patients with melanoma and whether this association is different for uncommon types of melanoma (nodular and desmoplastic melanoma). The thesis also examines whether survival may be worse for nodular and desmoplastic melanoma than more common types of melanoma.