Overview
Malignant melanoma is a potentially dangerous skin tumor responsible for the majority of skin cancer mortality 1. Cutaneous melanoma can occur in various locations, including the umbilicus.
Diagnosis
Clinical diagnosis should always be confirmed with dermatoscopy 1.
Histopathological examination is required for suspected melanoma 1.
Sequential digital dermatoscopy and full body photography may aid in early detection in high-risk patients 1.
Confocal reflectance microscopy can improve clinical diagnosis in specific cases 1.
Melanoma classification follows the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging 1.Management
Thin melanomas (up to 0.8 mm thickness) do not require further imaging diagnostics 1.
From stage IB onwards, lymph node sonography is recommended 1.
From stage IIC onwards, whole-body examinations with CT or PET-CT combined with brain MRI are recommended 1.
From stage III and higher, mutation testing, particularly for BRAF V600 mutation, is recommended 1.Key Recommendations
Melanoma diagnosis should be made clinically and confirmed with dermatoscopy, followed by histopathological examination 1. (Evidence: Expert opinion)
From stage IB, lymph node sonography is recommended for melanoma staging 1. (Evidence: Expert opinion)
From stage IIC, whole-body imaging (CT or PET-CT) and brain MRI are recommended for staging 1. (Evidence: Expert opinion)References
1 Garbe C, Amaral T, Peris K, Hauschild A, Arenberger P, Basset-Seguin N et al.. European consensus-based interdisciplinary guideline for melanoma. Part 1: Diagnostics: Update 2022. European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990) 2022. link