Malignant melanomas masquerade--as benign naevi

Malignant melanoma is becoming more common. 'Curable' early, the prognosis worsens quickly with depth and stage. Publicity in Hong Kong led to an increase in the referral and excision rates for 'benign' pigmented lesions. These excisions yielded 5% (3/61) malignant melanomas. It is suggested that aggressive policies of publicity and excision are justified, along with advice on prevention targeted at known high risk groups.