Individual treatment for malignant melanoma

Much has been learned in the recent decade about the predictable biologic behavior of cutaneous malignant melanoma. Indeed, such knowledge permits highly individualized treatment based on simple demographic data on the patient, location of the lesion, and its thickness according to the Breslow scale. The thoughtful surgeon may individualize his treatment according to the likely biologic behavior of the tumor, minimizing treatment morbidity while maintaining optimum results from primary and secondary surgical treatment.