Plastic surgeons play a fundamental role in the treatment of oncologic diseases both in terms of resection and reconstruction. A good understanding of epidemiology, demographic and clinic-pathologic aspects of the pathologies is essential to plan an optimally patient tailored treatment. The aim of this dissertation is to present five investigations which has been peer-reviewed and published in the field of oncologic diseases of plastic surgery interest.

The following pathologies were investigated: hard palate melanoma, melanoma of the upper limb and shoulder, the Merkel cell carcinoma of the external ear, melanoma of the scalp and neck, and spiradenocarcinoma. The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program of the US National Cancer Institute was used as a source of information. The tremendous advantage of using this database is represented by its representativeness of the US population, which allows to investigate in a comprehensive manner demographics, clinical pathologic factors and treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In case of rare entities, such as hard palate melanoma, Merkel cell cancer of the external ear or spiradenocarcinoma, this allows to collect sufficient data to provide the most complete and reliable knowledge of the epidemiology and better therapeutic strategies with reliable outcomes. In case of more common tumors, such as melanoma of the upper arm and shoulder and of the scalp and neck, the analysis of large representative patients’ samples provides the most comprehensive knowledge on the subjects.

On the basis of the results of the presented research, plastic surgeons, dermatologists and oncologists will be able to have a clear vision of prognostic factors to inform the patients and establish a properly tailored treatment.