The mission of the Northern California Melanoma Center (NCMC) (www.melanomacenter.com) is to provide information about melanoma to patients, their families, and the medical community.

The strength of the Northern California Melanoma Center lies in the Consulting Panel of physicians who meet weekly to discuss each new patient to combine their expertise in making recommendations for patient care.

During the initial one day consultation, the patient's case is thoroughly reviewed, detailed information about the patient's own disease is provided to the patient and his/her family, and therapeutic options discussed.

This web site provides information about melanoma, how it behaves, and the Staging System physicians use in describing the disease. It also provides information about the early treatment of melanoma, emphasizing the importance of surgery.

It addresses questions many patients ask regarding coping with melanoma, such as what to do about diet and sun exposure.

The Northern California Melanoma Center has a particular emphasis on providing not only the best standard therapy available, but also offering innovative therapies to patients. The Current Protocols offered by the Center are described, as well as the rationale for each study, and eligibility criteria for participating. Our work has been published in a number of Journals. Copies of these can be viewed under Publications.