Excision of Glands in Continuity for Malignant Melanoma

A WHITE PERSON has, on the average, about 15 moles over his body.¹The possibility that one of these will degenerate into a malignant melanoma is 1:1,000,000.²It is impossible to submit every nevus to microscopic analysis. Based on a population of 136,300,000 persons aged 14 and over,³it would take 10,000 surgeons, excising a nevus even 15 minutes for eight hours daily, over 25 years to accomplish this. Therefore, the prophylactic treatment of melanoma is not practical except in those areas of the body where junctional activity is the rule: sole of the foot, palm of the hand, and over the genitalia.⁴In spite of the increased awareness on the part of physicians and the lay public alike that nevi may be precursors of malignant melanoma, that changes in a nevus may presage malignant degeneration, and that prompt and vigorous treatment is necessary, 1,806 deaths