Breslow thickness

Breslow thickness
A method for determining the prognosis with melanoma. The thickness of a melanoma is related to the 5-year survival rate after surgical removal of the tumor. Named for the physician Alexander Breslow who in 1975 observed that as the thickness of the tumor increases, the chance of survival goes down. For example, a thickness of the melanoma of less than 0.76 millimeters is associated with a 5-year survival of 97% of patients whereas a tumor thickness of more than 8.0 millimeters is associated with 5-year survival of 32%. The Breslow thickness has come into wider use than an older system, the Clark level of invasion, a method devised by the pathologist Wallace Clark for measuring the depth of penetration of a melanoma into the skin according to anatomic layer (the epidermis, dermis, and the subcutis) of deepest tumor penetration.

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the distance (in millimetres) between the surface and the deepest extent of a malignant melanoma. The measurement correlates with prognosis; tumours that are less than 0.76 mm thick have a good prognosis.
A. Breslow (1928-80), US pathologist

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Bres·low thickness (bresґlo) [Alexander Breslow, American pathologist, 1928–1980] see under thickness.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Breslow thickness — the distance (in millimetres) between the surface and the deepest extent of a malignant melanoma. The measurement correlates with prognosis; tumours that are less than 0.76 mm thick have a good prognosis. [A. Breslow (1928–80), US pathologist] …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Breslow's depth — In medicine, Breslow s depth is used as a prognostic factor in melanoma of the skin. It is a description of how deeply tumor cells have invaded. Contents 1 History 2 Measurement 3 Prognostic importance …   Wikipedia

  • Breslow-Level — Die Tumordicke nach Breslow (oder auch Breslow Level) ist eine histologische Klassifikation, um die Stadien eines malignen Melanoms und die daraus abgeleitete Prognose zu beurteilen. Dabei wird in operativ entferntem Krebsgewebe die absolute… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Breslow — Alexander, U.S. pathologist, 1928–1980. See B. thickness …   Medical dictionary

  • thickness — 1. The measure of the depth of something, as opposed to its length or width. 2. A layer or stratum. Breslow t. maximal t. of a primary cutaneous melanoma measured in tissue sections from the top of the epid …   Medical dictionary

  • Tumordicke nach Breslow — Die Tumordicke nach Breslow (oder auch Breslow Level) ist eine histologische Klassifikation, um die Stadien eines malignen Melanoms und die daraus abgeleitete Prognose zu beurteilen. Dabei wird in operativ entferntem Krebsgewebe die absolute… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Melanoma thickness — A method for determining the prognosis (outlook) with melanoma. The thickness of a melanoma is related to the 5 year survival rate after surgical removal of the tumor. Also called Breslow thickness. Named for the physician Alexander Breslow who… …   Medical dictionary

  • Clark level of invasion — A method for determining the prognosis (outlook) with melanoma. The method was devised by the pathologist Wallace Clark and measures the depth of penetration of a melanoma into the skin according to anatomic layer. There are five Clark levels of… …   Medical dictionary

  • Clark's levels — the five vertical levels of skin that are successively penetrated by an invading melanoma. They are: epidermis, papillary dermis, intervening zone, reticular dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. They usually correlate with the Breslow thickness. W. H …   Medical dictionary

  • Clark's levels — the five vertical levels of skin that are successively penetrated by an invading melanoma. They are: epidermis, papillary dermis, intervening zone, reticular dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. They usually correlate with the Breslow thickness. [W.… …   The new mediacal dictionary

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