How dermatologists recognize melanoma

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study of how dermatologists work shows they rely on pattern recognition and comparison to identify skin lesions that might be melanoma.
Early detection is vital when it comes to melanoma, a form of skin cancer that can otherwise be deadly. Suspicious lesions - like a mole that changes in sign or color - need to be examined by a dermatologist. But how does the dermatologist decide what is cancer and what is not?

A team in Marseille, France, studied how dermatologists assessed 4,036 either harmless or malignant lesions which were then removed. Around 41 per cent were removed for aesthetic reasons, 13 per cent to reassure the patient, 30 per cent because the dermatologist thought they looked suspicious and 21 per cent because the dermatologist believed they might be precursors to melanoma.

Of those lesions that were later diagnosed as melanoma, 94.6 per cent had been thought suspicious by the dermatologist. The study showed that suspicions were aroused by lesions that looked different in comparison to other moles on the patients body. Recent change in the lesion was also thought important. It's also significant that a few lesions removed to reassure the patient were also found the be melanoma, which shows the patient's views and feelings should never be overlooked.

Source
Archives of Dermatology April 2005