Metastatic cutaneous malignant melanoma: spectrum of imaging findings and the role of multimodality imaging.

Abstract

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is one of the most lethal and widely metastasising cancers with unpredictable pathways of spread. One of the most significant factors associated with survival in patients who have distant metastases is the number of organ sites involved. Innovative treatment options are now available for metastatic melanoma, and diagnostic imaging has become crucial for accurate staging and restaging of disease. The objective of this pictorial review is to illustrate the imaging spectrum of metastatic cutaneous malignant melanoma including both the common and the relatively ubiquitous sites of involvement using both conventional cross-sectional and metabolic molecular imaging. This review also highlights the importance of combining multiple imaging methods for accurate staging of metastatic melanoma.