Melanoma in the dermatologist's office

Data about melanomas seen in a private dermatologist's office during a fifteen year period were evaluated as to size, location, stage, and histologic level of the lesions, and sex and survival of the patients. Forty-three melanomas were seen in forty-one patients. Only four patients (9 percent) died as a result of their melanomas. All patients were at clinical stage 1 of the disease. Thirty-two lesions were smaller than 1.6 cm. Twenty-four (56 percent) of the lesions were of the superficial spreading type. Apparently, patients with melanomas seek advice at a dermatologist's office when their disease is at an earlier stage of development than do patients generally seen in other types of medical settings. A plea is made to examine patients yearly for pigmented lesions. The number of melanomas seen per 10,000 patient-visits rose during the fifteen year period.