Removal of Suspicious Skin Lesions – Melanoma Diagnostics

Skin Moles and Pigmented Lesions

Pigmented skin moles are clusters of melanocytic cells found in the skin. They are benign lesions commonly referred to as moles. They often develop under the influence of sunlight and ultraviolet radiation. An average person has approximately 10 to 40 moles on their skin. The vast majority do not require medical treatment. However, some moles may change over time and develop features that require specialist assessment.

When Should a Mole Be Considered Suspicious? The ABCDE Rule

A relatively simple method used to identify suspicious skin lesions and possible melanoma is the ABCDE rule:

• A – ASYMMETRY – the mole becomes asymmetrical or begins to grow unevenly in one direction.
• B – BORDER – irregular, jagged or poorly defined borders, or the development of thickening or nodules along the edge of the lesion.
• C – COLOUR – changes in colour, particularly the appearance of red, black or uneven pigmentation around or within the mole.
• D – DIAMETER – a lesion measuring more than approximately 5–6 mm.
• E – EVOLUTION and ELEVATION – any change in the mole, for example loss of hair, change in colour, development of a red or black border, bleeding, crusting or ulceration, or elevation of a previously flat lesion into a palpable lump or nodule.

If any of these changes occur, regardless of how long the symptoms have been present or how small the lesion is, medical assessment is recommended.

What Is Skin Melanoma?

Melanoma is a malignant skin cancer arising from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is one of the major risk factors for melanoma. The risk increases with cumulative exposure to sunlight and artificial UV radiation from tanning beds over a lifetime.

People at increased risk of developing melanoma include those with:

• blond or red hair,
• light-coloured eyes,
• fair or very fair skin,
• freckles and/or numerous moles,
• a tendency to sunburn easily,
• poor tolerance of sun exposure,
• difficulty tanning or an inability to tan,
• a family history of melanoma.

People with these risk factors should take particular care to avoid excessive sun exposure and should avoid the use of tanning beds.

Skin cancers are among the most common malignant tumors, while melanoma accounts for only a proportion of all skin cancers.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of skin cancer, which is why early diagnosis and treatment are so important.

Early Detection and Diagnosis of Melanoma

The basic examination for suspected melanoma is a careful inspection of the skin by a medical specialist. Dermoscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool that allows the doctor to assess the features of a mole and estimate the risk that a skin lesion may represent melanoma.

At our Medical Centre, dermoscopic assessment is performed by Dr Kamil Drucis, a specialist in surgical oncology. Dermoscopy, like any imaging assessment, helps estimate risk, but the definitive diagnosis of a suspicious skin lesion is based on microscopic examination by a specialist pathologist.

Histopathological examination of the completely removed lesion provides the definitive diagnosis and determines the nature of the mole or skin lesion.

Treatment of Early-Stage Skin Melanoma

When a skin lesion is suspicious for melanoma, the preferred diagnostic approach is complete surgical removal of the lesion for histopathological examination. Suspicious pigmented lesions should not be destroyed by methods that prevent subsequent pathological examination, such as laser treatment or cryotherapy.

A suspicious mole should be removed completely with an appropriate margin of surrounding tissue by performing an excisional biopsy. Complete excision allows the entire lesion to be assessed microscopically and provides the information required for further treatment planning.

Early-stage melanoma is often highly treatable with surgery. Once the disease becomes locally advanced or spreads to lymph nodes or distant organs, treatment becomes more complex and may require a combination of surgical and systemic therapies. This is why early assessment and removal of suspicious skin lesions are so important.

At Tartaczna 2 Medical Centre, excisional biopsies of suspicious skin lesions are performed by surgical oncologists. Every excised suspicious lesion is submitted for histopathological examination.

• If the histopathology result requires prompt consultation with an oncologist regarding possible treatment options and further management, such a consultation is also available at our Medical Centre with clinical oncologist and radiation oncologist Dr Magdalena Korożan. Book through our website (e-mail or telephone contact) or via ZnanyLekarz: Dr Magdalena Korożan. 

• Ultrasound-guided biopsies and standard breast ultrasound examinations are performed using a high-end GE Logiq E10 ultrasound system.

We invite you to book an appointment with Dr Dawid Śliwiński, Dr Natalia Spychalska or Dr Kamil Drucis through our website (e-mail or telephone contact) or via ZnanyLekarz: Dr Natalia Spychalska, Dr Kamil Drucis.

Please note that the waiting time for a histopathology result is approximately 30 days.