Tumors of the Skin

Abstract

Cancers of the skin are the most common neoplasms diagnosed in the United States annually. They are a heterogeneous group with a widely varying prognosis. Despite this stark contrast, the principles of anatomy applied to the surgical treatment of these entities are remarkably similar. Cancers of the skin range in clinical behavior from indolent, such as BCCs, to highly aggressive, as is the case with some melanomas and merkel cell carcinoma.

The relatively new technique of sentinellymph node biopsy has revolutionized the approach to these entities, allowing for the early detection ofregional metastases in patients withlesions at risk to metastasize. Although, like many novel interventions, sentinellymph node biopsy for cutaneous malignancies has its opponents, ithas been widely accepted as standard care in the United States and is broadly applied in melanoma and merkel cell carcinoma as well as in many adnexal carcinomas. Sent inelly mph node biopsy is highly accu rate and in pat ients w ith metastat ic d isea se, it appears to offer a survival benefit when early lymphadenectomy is performed.