Melanoma

This issue of the Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America covers the topic of melanoma. The guest editor is Adam Berger, MD, FACS, who is the Chief of the Section of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. In 2015, there will be approximately 76,000 new cases of melanoma with over 9,000 deaths. In our own state of Delaware, melanoma is one of the higher-incidence cancers because of the beautiful beaches in the southern part of the state. Educational efforts continue in our state concerning the dangers of sunlight and tanning beds. Teenagers don’t realize that the use of tanning beds before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75%. Recently, a law was passed in our state that requires parents’ permission for a child under the age of 18 to utilize a tanning bed. It is not ideal, but it is a start. We continue to educate the public about the dangers of sunlight and tanning beds because melanoma is a preventable cancer.

Dr Berger has gathered an outstanding group of authors on the subject matter of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. This issue runs the gamut of melanoma from staging and prognostic factors to treatment, including targeted therapies and an update on immunotherapy. The last issue of the Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America dealing with melanoma was in January of 2011, and the guest editor was Jeffrey E. Gershenwald, MD, FACS, Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology and Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In four short years, as demonstrated by this issue of the Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America , much progress has been made in the treatment of malignant melanoma. Hence, this issue is excellent timing.

I would like to thank Dr Berger for this timely issue of the Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America , and as I have said numerous times before, it is important that attending staff share this issue with all of their trainees.

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