Melanocytes and the Neural crest

Let's consider adjusting the treatment option based on tissue origin. 

The neural crest is a most fascinating embryological tissue. When these cells migrate to other body regions they create a variety of tissues. Examples include the iris in the eye, the adrenal medulla, and the pigment tissue or melanocytes in the skin. 

Any diseases of these neural crest tissues, which are embryological in origin, should be considered as diseases of the nervous tissues and addressed by neurologists rather than other specialists.

Consider melanomas which are tumors of melanocytes. Although melanomas occur in the skin, they are actually a disease of the neural crest tissue, which is part of the nervous system. As such, they should be managed by neurologists and not dermatologists.

Also, for the purposes of vital statistics, melanomas could be recorded as neurological tumours rather than as skin cancers. depending on the incidence of melanoma, this could have an impact on research funding allocation. Oncologists who treat melanomas could use treatment modalities that they typically use for brain tumours, and not those commonly used for skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

Likewise, the adrenal gland has two separate components: the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla. It could also be argued that medical conditions such as hypertension might better be better handled by neurologists rather than internists. We know the adrenal medulla, in the middle of the adrenal gland, is composed of parasympathetic nervous tissue of embryological origin. This is what enables humans to voluntarily alter their blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, a fact that gives further support to a shift in treatment modalities.