Melanoma was first described by Hippocrates in the 5th century BC. It was often described as the fatal black tumor. In 1838, the term melanoma was first proposed by Sir Robert Carswell, a British pathologist. In 1956, Henry Lancaster, an Australian mathematician, was the first to discover the association between UV radiation exposure and development of melanoma. In 2003, BRAF mutations were first identified in the pathogenesis of melanoma.

• Melanoma was first described by Hippocrates in the 5th century BC. It was often described as the fatal black tumor.^[1][2]
• Initially, melanoma was thought to be associated with black carbon deposits in patients with lung cancer. It was not until 1804 that René Laennec, a French physician and inventor of the stethoscope, distinguished melanoma (referred to as melanose) as a unique disease.
• In 1838, the term melanoma was first proposed by Sir Robert Carswell, a British pathologist.^[1]
• The association between hereditary diseases and melanoma was first made by William Norris, a British general practitioner.^[3]
• In 1853, Sir James Paget, a British surgeon, described the characteristic radial and vertical growth phases of melanoma.^[4]
• In 1905, the surgical management using “excision and dissection in continuity” was first suggested by William Handley, a British researcher. This surgical approach remained the predominant therapeutic approach for the management of melanoma until the mid-20th century.^[4]
• In 1956, Henry Lancaster, an Australian mathematician, was the first to discover the association between UV radiation exposure and development of melanoma.^[4][5]
• In 1970, Alexander Breslow evaluated factors that alter the prognosis of melanoma, including tumor size, depth of invasion, and tumor thickness. The total vertical depth was later referred to as Breslow’s depth.
• In 2003, BRAF mutations were first identified in the pathogenesis of melanoma.^[4][6][7]