Recognition of Dermatoscopic Characteristics of Neck Melanomas May Facilitate Earlier Diagnosis

Source: Oncology Nurse Advisor, February 2020

A retrospective study of neck lesions suspicious for melanoma showed that malignant melanomas were significantly more likely to be characterized by irregular hyperpigmentation compared with melanocytic nevi located on the neck. The findings from this study were published in Dermatology.

Although the head and neck is considered a single anatomic unit, less is known about the clinical and histopathological characteristics of melanomas occurring on the neck compared with the face and scalp.

In this single-center study, images of lesions suspicious for melanoma located on the neck of consecutive patients that were excised between 2011 and 2018 were assessed macroscopically, as well as through dermatoscopic image analysis. When available, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) images of these lesions were examined. Patient demographic characteristics were also recorded.

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