Diagnosis of melanoma in the elderly and surgical implications.
The diagnosis of primary melanoma is mainly related to the precocity on which a patient is referred to the specialist, but in elderly patients this may present some peculiar characteristics, one is anatomical, a typical melanoma of the face, the lentigo maligna melanoma and the second is attitudinal, the fact that elderly patients often do not refer a changing cutaneous lesion to a doctor until becoming symptomatic. The therapeutic approach has to be discussed with an anaesthesiologist if the procedure has to be conducted under general anaesthesia or with a cardiologist if under local anaesthesia. Once there are no contraindications medically, a similar oncological approach should be proposed without any reduction in radicality due to the elderly age.
Testori
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Melanoma Unit, European Institute of Oncology, Via Ripamonti 435, Milan 20141, Italy. alessandro.testori@ieo.it
Stanganelli
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I
Della Grazia
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Mahadavan
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L
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods*