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Epidemiology of Malignant Melanoma

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Skin Cancer - A World-Wide Perspective

Abstract

Melanomas are common cancers arising from the pigment cells of the skin. While in situ and locally invasive melanomas are curable by surgery, advanced disease is difficult to treat and can be lethal, as reflected in the rising mortality rates for these cancers [1]. Population-based strategies to control the disease have largely focused on primary prevention and early detection. For such strategies to be implemented, it is imperative that the underlying epidemiology of melanoma is understood. Emerging evidence from diverse disciplines suggests that melanomas may arise through several different causal pathways; characterizing these pathways is crucially important to developing rational approaches for preventing and treating cutaneous melanoma. The aim of this chapter is to briefly describe the patterns of melanoma occurrence, before reviewing recent discoveries that have changed our understanding of the way in which melanoma arises.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer and Population Studies, The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, 4029, Australia

    David Whiteman & Adele Green

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  1. David Whiteman
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  2. Adele Green
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dermatologische Klinik, Universitätsspital Zürich, Gloriastr. 31, Zürich, 8091, Switzerland

    Reinhard Dummer

  2. Mayo Clinic, Dept. Dermatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 1st St SW., 200, Rochester, 55905, Minnesota, USA

    Mark R. Pittelkow

  3. Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry &, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Shikata-cho 2-5-1, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan

    Keiji Iwatsuki

  4. Royal Brisbane Hospital, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, 4029, Queensland, Australia

    Adèle Green

  5. Fac. Medicine, Dept. Dermatology, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

    Nagwa M. Elwan

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Whiteman, D., Green, A. (2010). Epidemiology of Malignant Melanoma. In: Dummer, R., Pittelkow, M., Iwatsuki, K., Green, A., Elwan, N. (eds) Skin Cancer - A World-Wide Perspective. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-05072-5_2

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