In an era when attempts to better understand the pathophysiology and treatment of melanoma are focused on complex genomics and proteomics, it is remarkable that fundamentally simple questions about surgical excision margins remain unanswered. Often overlooked is the important fact that most patients who present with a primary cutaneous melanoma can be cured by surgery alone. The extent of that surgery must clearly be sufficient to maximise the chance of cure, while minimising patient morbidity and health-care costs associated with the reconstruction of large excision defects.
Original Article: [Comment] Appropriate excision margins for cutaneous melanomas