Malignant melanoma in the 1990s: the continued importance of early detection and the role of physician examination and self-examination of the skin.

Despite the exciting new techniques being developed to help diagnose early malignant melanoma, the current standard of care remains periodic examination of the skin. The combination of routine physician examination coupled with self-examination of the skin provides an opportunity for the identification of early malignant melanoma. Removal of such thin lesions can significantly reduce the ever-increasing mortality rate from this potentially serious form of cutaneous cancer.