Dysplastic Nevus: When Atypical Moles Are Precancerous
Source: Very Well Health, November 2023
A dysplastic nevus is an atypical mole. It may have some abnormal features in terms of size, color, shape, and texture but is not considered cancerous.1
Sung WW, Chang CH. Nevi, dysplastic nevi, and melanoma: molecular and immune mechanisms involving the progression. Tzu Chi Med J. 2021;34(1):1-7. doi:10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_158_20 Nevus (plural: nevi) is the clinical term for a skin mole.
A mole (nevus) is a benign and common skin growth produced by melanocytes (cells that secrete skin pigment). Melanocytes can become abnormal and produce a dysplastic nevus. Melanoma, a type of aggressive skin cancer, also results from abnormal melanocytes that have become cancerous.
This article will discuss what a dysplastic nevus is, what it looks like, how it’s diagnosed, the risk that it will develop into melanoma, and how to treat it.