ABSTRACT
In the United States, it was estimated that there would be 40,300 cases and 7300 deaths from melanoma in 1997 (1). No tumor is increasing at a faster rate than malignant melanoma (2-3). Age is an independent negative prognostic factor for survival in melanoma patients (3-5). The estimated percentage of patients with melanoma which are elderly is between 8 and 37% (3-6). The SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results [Program]) registry has reported that 16% of its melanoma patients were greater than 70 years of age (7). Reasons suggested for poorer survival of elderly patients with melanoma include a delay in diagnosis, lack of education in prevention and surveillance, increase in the incidence of more aggressive lesions, decrease in the immune function, and thinner skin leading to early invasion. In this section, we will discuss the current presentation, classification, staging, and treatment of cutaneous melanoma, focusing on how these issues affect the elderly patient.
