Editorial

Abstract

I am delighted to inform our readership that we have been accepted for inclusion in EMBASE and MEDLINE, the indexing databases of Excerpta Medica and Index Medicus. You are now able to obtain journal article citations commencing with this issue, by searching EMBASE, and in the near future, by searching MEDLINE. Both databases are also accessible through Silver Platter. With continued concern over the increasing incidence of melanoma, this issue of the Journal focuses on a number of important areas related to this subject. In our our Point-Counterpoint editorials, Drs. Frans Rampen and Martin Weinstock evaluate the pros and cons of mass screening programs in a cogent fashion. An ongoing controversy in the treatment of melanoma has been the margin required for optimal excision of the primary lesion. Over the past several decades, there has been a steady reduction in the extent of the resection of the primary tumour. Drs. Beasley and Cartotto retrospectively analyzed over 100 primary melanomas. Two local recurrences were seen in melanomas less than 2 mm thick, despite a margin of 1.7 and 2.4 cm. While larger studies are needed, this analysis stimulates some question on the true safety of currently accepted margins for 1 to 2 mm thick melanomas. Continuing with the theme of melanoma, our Grand Rounds from the University of British Columbia discusses a patient with melanoma and unilateral vascular tumours. In their article on familial melanomas, Hogg et al. review the area of the genetics of melanoma, with particular reference to the role of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor gene CDKN2A, on chromosome 9p21 and its potential predictive role in identifying at risk individuals for melanoma. I am pleased to have Dr. Robert Jackson introduce a new section in the Journal, Classics in Dermatology. This series provides a historical perspective on dermatologic disease. While the above article on melanoma illustrates how advances in molecular biology have dramatic impacts on our diagnostic skills, as dermatologists we still greatly value accurate clinical skills. The Classics in Dermatology focuses, from a historical perspective, on the importance of clinical acumen. Advances in dermatologic surgery have dramatically transformed our specialty. Hair transplantation was one of the initial areas of dermatologic surgery and dermatologists have been at the forefront of this field since the landmark studies by Dr. Orentreich in 1959. Since that time there have been major changes in the technique of hair transplantation that have greatly enhanced the outcomes. Drs. Bertucci, Berg, and Pollack update us on current techniques in this field.