A retrospective study of 275 cases of cutaneous malignant melanoma in the East Midland region

A study of 275 cases of cutaneous malignant melanoma treated in one centre at Nottingham has shown no significant changes in survival rates since Bodenham published his figures 13 years ago. Early excision of a suspicious tumour followed by immediate frozen section is still the best approach and was found to be a reliable way of confirming the diagnosis of malignancy in a pigmented lesion. A large percentage of patients with malignant melanoma develop their first metastases 5 years after the initial treatment. Therefore, the routine follow-up of patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma should be continued for at least 10 years.