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picture of benign mole irregular border (Courtesy The Skin Cancer Foundation) C stands for color. Melanomas often have different colors within the mole, such as different shades of black, brown or ...
Like typical moles, dysplastic nevi can be flat or raised. While they vary in size, dysplastic nevi are typically larger than normal moles and tend to have irregular borders and irregular coloration. Hence, they resemble melanoma, appear worrisome, and are often removed to clarify the diagnosis.
An atypical mole may also be referred to as an atypical melanocytic nevus, [2] atypical nevus, B-K mole, Clark's nevus, dysplastic melanocytic nevus, or nevus with architectural disorder. [3] Dysplastic nevi often grow to larger than ordinary moles and may have irregular and indistinct borders.
Border: The border around the spot has scalloped, irregular or poorly defined edges. Color: The spot contains various shades of black, brown, tan, white, red or blue.
However, a melanocytic nevus is benign, and melanoma is malignant. Most melanocytic nevi never evolve into a cancer, with the lifetime risk for an individual nevus being 1 in 3000 for men and 1 in 11 000 for women. [5] Moreover, dermatologists have a standardized system for determining whether a skin lesion is suspicious for malignant melanoma.
Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. [1] It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). [1] [2] In women, melanomas most commonly occur on the legs; while in men, on the back. [2]
Compared to malignant (cancerous) tumors, benign tumors generally have a slower growth rate. Benign tumors have relatively well differentiated cells. They are often surrounded by an outer surface (fibrous sheath of connective tissue) or stay contained within the epithelium. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.
Melanocytic tumors of uncertain malignant potential (MELTUMP) are melanocytic lesions in the dermis that cannot be classified by morphology as either benign naevi (moles) or malignant melanomas because the mass shows features of both.