Malignant melanoma - Clinical diagnostic techniques

Malignant melanoma in the advanced stages carries a grim prognosis. Early melanoma, on the other hand, can often be cured by a simple excision. Interestingly, only about 60 to 80% of cutaneous melanomas are correctly clinically diagnosed by dermatologists. It is clear that efforts need to be made to develop better methods to increase the sensitivity of screening tests for cutaneous melanomas. This article discusses the current clinical diagnostic techniques available and their role in detecting cutaneous melanoma.