title: Malignant melanoma.
abstract: In the European Community cutaneous melanoma accounts for 1 and 1.8% of cancers occurring in men and women, respectively. The incidence rate is increasing faster than that of any other tumour. Sun exposure, patient's phenotype, family history, and history of a previous melanoma are the major risk factors. The change over a period of months is the main sign of a skin lesion turned into a melanoma. The ABCDE scheme for early detection of melanoma is commonly accepted. A new staging classification will be published in the next AJCC/UICC Cancer Staging System Manual in 2002. The clinical course of melanoma is determined by its dissemination and depends on thickness, ulceration, localisation, gender and histology of the primary tumour. Tumour stage at diagnosis remains the major prognostic factor. Surgery is the standard treatment option for operable local-regional disease. Sentinel node biopsy represents a promising experimental approach in the clinical detection and early treatment of occult lymph node involvement. For metastatic inoperable patients systemic chemotherapy can be attempted, while radiation therapy has to be considered as palliative treatment. No studies concerning frequency of follow-up are currently available, but common procedures may be performed.
authors.affiliation: START Project, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy. start@cancerworld.org
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Braud
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khayat
authors.forename: Bin B R
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Kroon
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valdagni
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bruzzi
authors.forename: Natale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cascinelli
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy