Melanoma is termed as a malignancy of melanocytes i.e. pigment-producing cells located predominantly in the skin but is also found in the eyes, ears, GI tract, leptomeninges, and oral and genital mucosal membranes. The guidelines published by British journal of dermatology, UK provide a brief overview of epidemiology, diagnosis, investigations, and follow-up of cutaneous melanoma.
Although melanoma accounts for 5 % of all skin cancers still it is the leading cause of skin cancer-related mortality. Melanoma is multifactorial and is linked with various factors such as fair complexion/ sun sensitivity, excessive childhood sun exposure, increased number of typical/ dysplastic nevi, family history of melanoma, a presence of changing mole, and older age. Pathophysiology: Melanomagenesis, the sequence of events in which normal melanocytes transform into melanoma cells, is less clearly…
