On the mound with melanoma: The Jim Umbricht story.

Jim Umbricht (1930-1964) was a Major League baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros (formerly Houston Colt .45s). In 1963, he was diagnosed with stage III malignant melanoma which presented with a right leg pigmented skin lesion and right groin lymphadenopathy. Umbricht was treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Tumor Institute in Houston with the relatively new therapeutic modality of isolated limb perfusion. He was able to resume pitching 2 months after the surgery and played the remainder of the baseball season. Unfortunately, he died of metastatic disease on April 8, 1964. This contribution highlights Umbricht's medical care back in 1963 compared with current treatment options for advanced-stage malignant melanoma. Jim Umbricht's courageous story increased public awareness of malignant melanoma and can still inspire us to educate the public about this deadly form of skin cancer.