title: Pathology of melanoma.
abstract: The purposes of pathologic examination of a lesion suspected of being a malignant melanoma are to provide an accurate diagnosis of melanoma (or not), and to provide prognostic information useful in the clinical management of the patient. In the near future, pathologic attributes will also likely be used to predict responses to therapy, as a guide to the selection of specific therapeutic agents such as "small molecule" inhibitors of signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Elder
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery