Early diagnosis of melanoma: current challenge for a modern clinician

Abstract

Authors assessed the incidence of skin melanoma during outpatient consultations at the Consultation and Diagnostic Center of the Main Military Clinical Hospital named after academician N.N. Burdenko. During the period from 2019 to 2020, the authors diagnosed 68 patients with skin melanoma with stages ranging as follows: in situ ― 3 (4.4%) cases, stage IA ― 11 (16.2%) cases, IB ― 13 (19.1%) cases, IIA ― 11 (16.2%) cases, IIB ― 6 (8.8%) cases, IIC ― 9 (13.2%) cases, IIIA ― 3 (4.4%) cases, IIIB ― 4 (5.9%) cases, IIIC ― 3 (4.4%) cases, IV ― 5 (7.4%) cases. The necessity to apply the knowledge about the clinical and dermoscopic features of this malignant disease to diagnose skin melanoma, as well as exceptional prognostic significance of early detection of skin melanoma, were demonstrated.