Onkológia 4/2024

Diagnosis of malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma is one of the most insidious tumours due to its biological behaviour. Early diagnosis is the key to reducing the mortality of this often aggressive tumour. Its picture is highly variable, requiring expert clinical and dermatoscopic examination by an outpatient dermatovenerologist, who, if suspected, refers the patient for excisional biopsy or directly to a specialized oncological- dermatological department. Verification of the diagnosis, depending on adequate oncological staging, is followed by proper management of the patient in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team. Patients in the in situ or IA stages of the disease can be further dispensed at district dermatology outpatient clinics, while others, due to the risk of metastasis in the following years, remain in the long-term dispensary care of the specialised department. However, despite various preventive measures, the incidence of this disease is still rising at a rate of approximately 5% per year. Therefore, the basis for reducing its mortality remains early diagnosis with proper management.

Keywords: malignant melanoma, clinical, dermatoscopic and histomorphological picture, imaging, dispensary