Introduction to Melanoma: Risks, Development, and Treatment

This paper provides a general introductory overview to malignant melanoma, one of the most common, yet deadly skin cancers in the world. The two main categories of melanoma, cutaneous and non-cutaneous, have differences in affected tissues, risk factors, and driving mutations. The carcinogenesis of melanoma is driven by pathogenic dysregulation in the MAPK pathway, p53 protein, and cell cycle checkpoints. There exist four main treatment approaches up to date: surgical resection, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Although recent advancements in immunotherapies have improved treatment options immensely, additional research is needed to develop more effective strategies to lower the mortality rate further.