[Clinic, statistic and risik factors of the malignant melanoma (author's transl)]

The prognosis for malignant melanoma is dependent on the stage of the disease, sex, size respectively depth of penetration, structure (lentigo maligna melanoma, superficial spreading melanoma, nodular melanoma), location and age of the patient when the disease begins. The method of conventional treatment (X-ray then excision, excision then X-ray, X-ray alone, excision alone) is not important. The decisive factor is early diagnosis (histology) and early treatment (total excision of the tumor). The value of additional immunotherapy and chemotherapy in cases diagnosed early cannot yet be judged. Melanoma is rarer among colored races than among whites, and the frequency of the disease among Caucasians increases as one approaches the equator. Morbidity and mortality are rising throughout the world. The influence of factors such as trauma and sunlight is disputed.