{"id":5647,"date":"2011-09-08T11:32:29","date_gmt":"2011-09-08T10:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T12:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T11:12:24","slug":"history-of-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"History of melanoma: from early descriptions to modern care"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"im26-diagnosis-guide im26-care-guide\">\n<p class=\"im26-care-intro\">Historical milestones explain why diagnosis and treatment continue to evolve.<\/p>\n<nav class=\"im26-dg-toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><strong>On this page<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#care-origini\">Hunter, Laennec and Norris<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#care-novecento\">From microscopy to prevention<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#care-oggi\">Why history does not define today\u2019s prognosis<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"care-origini\">\n<h2>Hunter, Laennec and Norris<\/h2>\n<p>Melanoma\u2019s history predates the modern disease definition: accounts of dark tumours cannot always be reclassified with certainty. John Hunter is remembered for removing a lesion in 1787 that was later recognised as melanoma and preserved in the Royal College of Surgeons collection. This does not establish that no similar tumour had been described previously.<\/p>\n<p>From the late eighteenth into the nineteenth century, clinical observation and pathology gradually distinguished these lesions. Ren\u00e9 Laennec contributed descriptions of melanosis; William Norris published an English account in 1820, noticing familial features later discussed in his 1857 case collection. Historical terminology did not exactly match today\u2019s definitions.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel Cooper highlighted early removal and the difficulty of disseminated disease in the nineteenth century. Jean Cruveilhier\u2019s illustrations belong to the same tradition of pathological documentation. Claims of absolute priority, isolated dates or discoveries attributed to one person require caution: knowledge developed through successive contributions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"im26-dg-gallery im26-care-images\">\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"269\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image retained from the site archive.\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Image retained from the site archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"im26-dg-sources\"><small>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK13962\/\">Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine \u2014 History of melanoma<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamadermatology\/article-abstract\/544718\">JAMA Dermatology \u2014 History of precursors to malignant melanoma<\/a>.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"care-novecento\">\n<h2>From microscopy to prevention<\/h2>\n<p>Microscopy made it possible to relate clinical appearance to tumour characteristics. During the twentieth century, thickness, ulceration and lymph node spread became increasingly important to prognostic classification. Epidemiological observations, including Henry Lancaster\u2019s work, helped investigate environmental and solar radiation relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Dermoscopy, recognition of change and biopsy improved diagnosis. Staging systems have changed over time, so comparing historical outcomes without knowing the classification used can mislead. Surgery also evolved from very extensive procedures towards evidence-based, risk-adapted decisions that consider function and quality of life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"im26-dg-sources\"><small>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK13962\/\">Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine \u2014 History of melanoma<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/39550033\/\">ESMO \u2014 Cutaneous melanoma guideline, 2025<\/a>.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"care-oggi\">\n<h2>Why history does not define today\u2019s prognosis<\/h2>\n<p>Molecular and immunological knowledge led to targeted treatments and checkpoint inhibitors, changing care in several advanced and high-risk settings. This does not mean every melanoma is curable or every patient receives the same medicines. It does explain why a nineteenth-century description of incurability cannot serve as a current definition.<\/p>\n<p>Historical images remain part of the site\u2019s heritage. Dr Nicola Angelotti\u2019s original contribution is distinguished from the later editorial update. Use the dedicated diagnosis, staging and treatment sections for current care: history explains the development of ideas rather than selecting treatment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"im26-dg-sources\"><small>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/types\/skin\/hp\/melanoma-treatment-pdq\">NCI \u2014 Melanoma Treatment (PDQ)<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/39550033\/\">ESMO \u2014 Cutaneous melanoma guideline, 2025<\/a>.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<aside class=\"im26-dg-related\">\n<h2>Continue the pathway<\/h2>\n<div class=\"im26-resource-grid\">\n<article>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/books-about-melanoma\/\">Melanoma books: reading choices and historical catalogue<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Patient reading, professional textbooks and historical works in context.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<article>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/melanoma-guidelines\/\">Melanoma guidelines: sources and versions<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Where to consult authoritative recommendations and distinguish them from historical PDFs.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"im26-dg-sources\"><small>Editorial review and source consultation: 17 October 2026. Educational information, not individual healthcare or benefits advice. Source checking does not certify a new specialist clinical validation.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Historical milestones explain why diagnosis and treatment continue to evolve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":5532,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5647","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>History of melanoma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first description of melanoma was made by John Hunter in 1787\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"History of melanoma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first description of melanoma was made by John Hunter in 1787\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Il Melanoma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-17T11:12:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/\",\"name\":\"History of melanoma\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/03\\\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-09-08T10:32:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-17T11:12:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"The first description of melanoma was made by John Hunter in 1787\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/03\\\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/03\\\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/history-of-melanoma\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Melanoma resources\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/melanoma-resources\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"History of melanoma\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Il Melanoma\",\"description\":\"la guida alla conoscenza, prevenzione e cura del melanoma\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Il Melanoma\",\"alternateName\":\"ilmelanoma.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/logo-melanoma-azzurro.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/logo-melanoma-azzurro.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":29,\"caption\":\"Il Melanoma\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ilmelanoma.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"History of melanoma","description":"The first description of melanoma was made by John Hunter in 1787","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"History of melanoma","og_description":"The first description of melanoma was made by John Hunter in 1787","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/","og_site_name":"Il Melanoma","article_modified_time":"2026-10-17T11:12:24+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/","name":"History of melanoma","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg","datePublished":"2011-09-08T10:32:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-17T11:12:24+00:00","description":"The first description of melanoma was made by John Hunter in 1787","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/chartran-sorbonne-300x269.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/history-of-melanoma\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Melanoma resources","item":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma-resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"History of melanoma"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/","name":"Il Melanoma","description":"la guida alla conoscenza, prevenzione e cura del melanoma","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Il Melanoma","alternateName":"ilmelanoma.com","url":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/logo-melanoma-azzurro.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/logo-melanoma-azzurro.png","width":300,"height":29,"caption":"Il Melanoma"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5647"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11181,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5647\/revisions\/11181"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}