2022 Volume 81 Issue 6 Pages 329-333
Among malignant skin tumors, malignant melanoma (hereinafter referred to as melanoma) is well known forits strong metastatic potency and poor prognosis. Moreover, it is safe to say that it is the most famous malignanttumor of the skin. The field of melanoma is at a stage where new findings are emerging one after another, and thespeed of progress is remarkable. Clark’s classification has been used for a long time to classify melanoma, butproblems have arisen in that there are certain tumor types that do not fit into this classification and that the relationship between tumor types and desirable treatment methods and prognosis is unclear. As a result, new taxonomies have been developed. In addition, what used to be common sense, contraindication for skin biopsy and thesignificance of lymph node dissection, for example, are no longer valid. Treatment methods have also advanceddramatically. The new drugs are already being used in clinical practice, and their effectiveness is already well recognized. In addition, therapeutic methods from new perspectives are now being developed.We have come to an era where we are always required to update our knowledge. This review is primarily forphysicians who wish to start learning malignant skin tumors and those other than dermatologists. We mainly focuson changes in attitudes toward managing melanoma.
