[Psychosocial aspects of malignant melanoma]

Psychosocial aspects play a role in every stage of malignant melanoma: they are significant in terms of sun exposure habits (primary prevention) and have an important influence on the time lapse between the onset of malignant melanoma and its diagnosis (secondary prevention). Knowledge about psychosocial aspects is also necessary during the course of illness following primary treatment as during this phase patients make critical efforts in understanding and adapting to their illness. These efforts in turn interact with treatment measures and the course of the illness (tertiary prevention). Effective psychosocial interventions are available that can have an important impact on patients' quality of life. Stage-appropriate disease management requires knowledge of relevant psychosocial aspects during the course of cancer and has practical consequences not only for future prevention measures, but also for individual patients, physician-patient relationship and interdisciplinary patient care.