Melanoma and other cutaneous malignancies

Cancers of the skin constituted nearly one-half of all cancers diagnosed in 2006, at least 1,000,000 new cases in the United States alone. In fact, the skin is by far the most common primary site for human cancer development. Although skin cancer is often thought of as causing relatively little morbidity and mortality, more than 10,000 deaths were attributed to cutaneous malignancies in the United States in 2005, most (7,770) from malignant melanoma.1 Moreover, both the incidence and mortality of skin cancers are increasing in the United States and throughout most of the world.2,3 Although this chapter focuses primarily on melanoma, a discussion of other cutaneous malignancies is included.