The history of melanoma: from Incas to the 3rd millennium -- 2 Epidemiology, prevention and clinical diagnosis -- 3 Treatment of primitive tumour -- 4 Histopathological examination: the keystone of treatment -- 5 Molecular assessment: when and why -- 6 New tumour staging: prognostic factors -- 7 Lymphatic mapping and Positron Emission Tomography (PET): the role of nuclear medicine -- 8 Evolution of sentinel lymph node biopsy technique -- 9 The rationale of sentinel lymph node biopsy: prognostic and therapeutic implications -- 10 Surgical technique and indications of radical dissections: axylla -- 11 Surgical technique and indications of radical dissections: groin -- 12 Surgical technique and indications of radical dissections: head and neck -- 13 Management of complications of radical dissections -- 14 Local treatments of loco-regional pathology -- 15 Surgical indications of metastatic disease in election -- 16 Surgical treatment of urgency -- 17 Medical treatment of melanoma: neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies -- 18 Systemic treatment in advanced melanoma -- 19 Management of brain metastases

In the last decade, the clinical management of melanoma has become more effective: basic clinical studies, randomized clinical trials, and new drugs have greatly improved the prognosis of patients, both in the initial and in the advanced stage of the disease. This book offers a wide and up-to-date overview of the multidisciplinary treatment of melanoma. Among the topics discussed, there are the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy and the radical dissection, following the results of international randomized clinical trials, in particular MSLT-II. The last chapters are focused on new medical treatments in adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and metastatic settings. The volume has been written for all the professionals involved in melanoma treatment, such as general surgeons, surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, dermatologists, radiotherapists, and nuclear medicine physicians