After controversies regarding which are the best surgical excision margins for skin melanomas thicker than 2 mm, a study published Online First by The Lancet indicates that a 2 cm excision margin is safe and sufficient, as results in similar levels of recurrence and death compare with that of 4 cm margin.
Skin melanoma is rising by about 4% in both men and women in Sweden. Figures in Scandinavia and other countries with predominantly white populations are also increasing, and compared with other cancers, the average age of patients diagnosed is low.
