Cutaneous Malignancies of the Upper Extremity

Cutaneous malignancies are the most common primary malignancies of the hand. The hand surgeon may be the first physician to see these patients or may have the patients referred to them because of expertise in this anatomical region. This article reviews diagnosis and treatment, including margin of resection and need for sentinel lymph node biopsy, for the 3 most common cutaneous malignancies: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma.