Melanoma

ICD-O-3 topography codes
ICD-O-3 topography codes do not provide sufficient detail to specify the many sub sites for skin melanoma.

Laterality-related issues

Right/left/midline
The regional lymph node drainage of the melanoma site contributes to determining single or multiple primaries. This issue is not addressed in the existing rules.
Front/back
Similarly, regional lymph node drainage of a melanoma site on the front or back of the body may be different, and this issue is not addressed in the existing rules.

Precancerous lesions
Terminology describing precancerous lesions is a source of great confusion for registrars doing casefinding. For example, the following terms are not reportable to SEER, NPCR or CoC: atypical melanocytic hyperplasia, Melanocytic intraepithelial neoplasia, or evolving melanoma
In situ melanoma
When do certain terms refer to in situ melanoma?
In situ and invasive melanoma
How are combinations of behavior abstracted and coded?
Histology codes
Are there priorities to coding histology and counting multiple primaries for various types of melanomas?

Time between diagnoses
For melanomas that reappear in the same primary site, is the existing two-month rule sufficient?
Regressing melanoma
Regressing melanoma has some unique coding problems, and some have been missed in the past
Effect on incidence counts and rates
Changing the multiple primaries rules will have to be done very carefully so that an epidemic of melanoma is not artificially created when we compare pre-2007 melanoma rates to 2007 and forward rates