Excision

Surgical excision remains the primary modality for treating localized melanoma. Cutaneous melanomas that have not spread beyond the initial site are highly curable. Localized melanoma is excised with margins proportional to the microstage of the primary lesion.

Standardizing treatment for mucosal melanoma is difficult due to the paucity of prospective data in this rare subgroup. Surgery remains the cornerstone of therapy. Local excision is performed when feasible, as radical resection has not conferred a survival advantage in retrospective studies.[1-3] Optimal excision margins have not been prospectively studied, but the ultimate goal is to obtain negative histological margins.[4]