Diagnostic techniques for primary cutaneous melanoma

Despite the rising incidence of melanoma in the Caucasian population, there has not been a concomitantly dramatic increase in mortality, which is due, in part, to the advent of better tools that have been made available for the early detection of melanoma. This article presents an overview of some of the recent diagnostic developments that are of potential interest to practicing dermatologists. Some of these diagnostic advances include: total body photography; dermoscopy; multispectral imaging; confocal scanning laser microscopy; teledermatology; high-frequency ultrasound; computed tomography; magnetic resonance imaging; immunohistochemical stains; comparative genomic hybridization; microphthalmia transcription factor; and melanoma sniffing dogs. Although not all of these tools are uniformly accepted nor mandatory, a passing familiarity with them will be helpful as additional data regarding their use evolves.