Abstract
Responsible for 90% of skin cancer deaths, melanoma is the most aggressive skin tumor. Although the main risk factor is known, its incidence doubles every 10 years. Actually, intense and repeated ultraviolet radiation exposure during childhood and adolescence is significantly associated with the development of melanoma. Therefore, rules of photo-protection must be taught and applied from an early age. In addition, to diagnose melanoma as soon as possible is a major challenge as it is a particularly aggressive disease. At a localized stage, surgical management is sufficient, while the risk of recurrence persists. Consequently, medical follow-up and education in self-screening are essential. Treatment of advanced forms evolved over the past decade improving patient prognosis. Alternative treatment strategies are being assessed to improve survival, avoid relapse and reduce side effects. Knowing the high rate of early metastasis in case of stages III and IV melanoma, adjuvant treatment showed notable results that could be adjusted by neo-adjuvant therapies, which are also being studied in earlier stages. The aim of this article is to review the diagnosis and up-to-date treatments of melanoma, as well as the results of the latest studies. We tried to be as thorough as possible and to emphasize the importance of primary and secondary prevention. Eventually, we stressed out the need for non-dermatological practitioners to share this knowledge and to be aware of the management of a patient with a suspicious skin lesion.
MeSH :
Combined Modality Therapy,
Humans,
Melanoma/diagnosis,
Melanoma/pathology,
Melanoma/therapy,
Neoplasm Recurrence,
Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis,
Skin Neoplasms/therapy,
Ultraviolet Rays.
Keywords :
Melanoma.
