The many molecular mysteries of melanoma

Melanoma of the skin is one of the most rapidly increasing malignancies in both young and old patients (1,2). Not only is the incidence increasing, but the number of annual deaths from melanoma is also on the rise worldwide (3). In the United States, melanoma will be diagnosed in 43,000 new patients each year and be responsible for 7300 deaths (1 death every 72 min). The capacity of melanoma to develop in young patients is reflected by the rather alarming statistic that it has become one of the top causes of death in both men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 (3). Indeed, among Caucasian females, melanoma is the leading cause of death from malignancy between the ages of 25 and 29 (3). It is expected that by 2002, 1 in 70 Americans will develop melanoma during their lifetime (2). Also, melanoma is second only to adult leukemia as the leader in the number of potential years of life lost, which is significantly greater than for patients with cervical, breast, and colon malignancies (4). Despite the frequent presence of melanoma and major associated health problems around the globe, only recently have clinicians and laboratory-based researchers begun to unravel some of the molecular mysteries of melanoma (5,6). The purpose of Melanoma: Methods and Protocols, published as part of the Methods in Molecular Medicine™ series, is to provide an up-to-date review of the many advances that have taken place during the past several years involving the pathophysiology, diagnosis, genetic analysis, and treatment approaches for patients with melanoma (7).