During the 35-year period of existence of the Commission for dark tumours at the Dermatological Clinic, Faculty Hospital Hradec Kralove the authors encountered the familial form of malignant skin melanoma in 22 members of 11 families. In two families in three generations, in eight families in two generations and once in two siblings. The authors recorded in the patients the age when the diagnosis was established, somatic signs, the duration of the pigmented lesion or its possible changes, site and number of primary tumours, histological classification. If secondaries were present, they investigated their site and period of development after removal of the primary melanoma. They assessed also the presence of other malignities and survival period in the investigated subjects. In the conclusion they point out the necessity of aimed examination of members of the family of every patient with a malignant melanoma.

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