Historically the approach to treating noncutaneous melanoma was largely guided by the experience with cutaneous melanoma, particularly in the metastatic setting. However, as genetic tools have allowed clinicians to better characterize these malignancies, their unique biology has become apparent. The ability to accurately distinguish the subtypes of melanoma and the genetic alterations that drive them is beginning to yield the tools that are shifting this disease from one that has proved to be intractable in the advanced setting to one that can be effectively treated.
