Surgical Management of Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers

The prevalence of malignant skin cancers has increased significantly over the past several years. Approximately 1.2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed per year. More alarming, up to 80,000 cases of melanoma are diagnosed per year, an incidence that has been steadily increasing, with a lifetime risk of 1 in 50 for the development of melanoma. The disturbing increase in the incidence of both non-melanoma skin cancer and melanoma can largely be attributed to the social attitude toward sun exposure. The clinical assessment and management of skin lesions can be challenging. This review describes the assessment process, including thorough history and examination; the need for possible biopsy; and excision criteria. Specific types of skin cancer are distinguished and include basal cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma; and melanoma; and for each type the incidence; epidemiology; histologic subtypes; diagnosis; and both surgical and non-surgical treatments are provided. Stages I-IV of melanoma are detailed, with prognostic factors described. Surgical treatment for stages I and II include description of the margins of excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy. The surgi