Seventy-nine percent of skin-cancer-related deaths are caused by cutaneous malignant melanoma. During the last decades, the incidence of malignant melanoma has raised in all developed countries independently of sex. In 2005, the American Cancer Society estimated that there were 59,580 new cases of melanoma in the USA.The prognosis of cutaneous malignant melanoma strongly depends on the stage of detection. Whereas the prognosis is excellent for thin melanoma diagnosed early and treated with adequate surgical excision, the 5-year overall survival declines to 60% for patients with lymph node metastases. The overall survival of patients with advanced malignant melanoma is most unfavorable with a 5-year survival rate of 5-14%. Fortunately, about 82% of all cutaneous melanomas are detected at a localized stage of the disease.During the last decades, the importance of prognostic indicators played a central role in scientific reports on malignant melanoma. Numerous analyses led to continuous modification of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) classification of cutaneous melanoma.
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