Melanocytic Nevus Puns

Hi! I am 26, Caucasian female, 1.5 years postpartum.

I got two moles biopsied because they appeared abnormal to my doctor. Once the results came, they said there were some abnormal cells but nothing to worry about, no cancer. However, they still wanted me to do a full scan at their referred dermatologist. That seemed normal, but when I asked for more information on what the abnormal cells meant, neither the nurse nor doctor would answer me. Just said not to worry, but I should get checked further when I can.

I looked up the result myself (which I was trying to avoid because we know how googling things usually ends up 😅), and it did lead me to believe it was not “nothing”, but I still don’t completely understand what it means.

Any insight would be very appreciated!

Biopsy result: compound melanocytic nevus with mild atypia

Hi, this is my first time posting here. So I'll start with my basic information. 25F, 163cm (height) 61kg. No other existing health issues. No medications. Drink once a week, if that and dont get hammered. Recently quit smoking cigarettes (smoked for about 10 years, quit a few months ago) I am based in Australia.

I can't get an appointment with a dermatologist for more than 6 months. However I am a little concerned about the birthmark I was born with. I have a large melanocytic nevus on the top right side of my forehead. I have never actually had it checked over by a specialist in my life.

I remember when I was quite young I was having some pains around there, and I did see a surgeon at the royal children's Hospital in Melbourne to talk about possible removal. In the end I elected not to as the pain wasn't that bad, nor was it constant. And I didn't like the sound of the procedure after it was explained to me. I haven't had any major issues, maybe the occasional weird feeling. But that's kind of become normal for me? So I'm not sure what other people feel? It doesn't cause me grief as of yet.

My main concern at the moment is the risk of melanoma. Like I said I've never had it looked at by anyone. I've had the same GP most of my life, around 20 years I've been a patient. I'm not sure if that's normal procedure and I understand this is pretty rare to present in clinic (probably). I digress.

So, it's really difficult to ascertain a time frame or whether I'm correct about this. But I'm noticing some changes. For more than a year I think the colour is changing, I believe the borders are changing too. But it definitely seems alot lighter than it was in the past. Also, it's turning albino? I'm very quickly developing a white forelock. It is only the hair on my birthmark that is affected but they are quickly all becoming WHITE. One other thing I'll note is sometime last year (don't remember exactly when) but I remember one small area of the nevus leaked a little, it was clear like plasma or something. Not like pus at all. Very clear and watery and cleared in a couple days.

I'm going to mention this it might be unrelated, but I've never got an answer. I get very itchy glands near where my jawline meets my earlobe. It's been happening for about 7 years. It seems spontaneous. But sometimes they really swell. I don't know if it's my saliva glands but when they are inflamed, I guess some sort of saliva response happens. The saliva tastes kind of weird and its wat

When I saw the post surrounding the 6 year old girl with "wolf skin" post on WTF I thought some people might like a bit of perspective or have some questions surrounding what it's like having congenital melanocytic nevus (the skin condition the girl from the post appears to have).

I was born with a giant congenital nevus on the majority of the right hand side of my face that extended into my scalp region and also affected the external skin region of my eye. I had skin graphs taken from my back and behind my ears at about 1 year old in a 2 step procedure to remove the majority of the nevus itself due to risk of melanoma. I had further skin expanders to remove the graphs later when I was 12-14 to even out my face and due to emotional issues surrounding my appearance. My eye/eyelid has not been operated on and I lack an eyebrow and a few facial muscles. Feel free to ask me questions.

"Wolf skin" girl post: http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/uv3ii/6year_old_girl_with_wolf_skin_disease/

Proof: http://imgur.com/a/qn8r6 More Recent pics: http://imgur.com/a/Bgs5W

so I always wanted to remove this birthmark from my face and when I went to see a dermatologist he told me that the only way to remove it is by surgical excision and it would leave me with a scar on my face so is there any way to remove it without scars ( laser maybe ) or at least can the scar be removed with laser afterwards also the birthmark is on the jawline so can the doctor control the place of the scar and make it beneath the jawline were it would be mildly hidden ?

Hi reddit! My baby cousin Lucas was born with giant congenital melanocytic nevus (a giant dark birthmark) on the left side of his face. Unfortunately for him, this spot can result in melanoma (skin cancer) and other neurological conditions in the future. His parents have sold everything they own to get him the best treatment they could find but they are having trouble gathering the funds. On top of the medical expenses, they have to cover health insurance, living expenses and travel expenses between Colombia (where they are from) and the US (where Lucas is being treated). I know that in the past Reddit has come through for people that are in need so I'm hoping you guys can come through for them :)

Here is the promotional video for the charity his parents have set up as well as the link to donate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIPv1v8rwlE

http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/lucas-wants-to-prevent/289948

NOTE: It appears the table at the bottom of this post is a little funky on Mobile app, you have to use your finger to scroll the table to the right to see all 4 columns.

I've taken the liberty to consolidate a list of all PMDA approvals of Regenerative Medicine since the PMD Act (November 2014) was instituted for the acceleration of development of regenerative medicine therapies.

I've not yet had a chance to dive into them but the one approval I've looked at more closely is Temcell HS Injection for Acute GvHD - which is PMDA's first full approval. From this article https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(16)00117-X here are some notes that can give us an idea around the threshold to be granted full-approval from the PMDA

• The pivotal study was a single-arm, open-label, phase II–III study (n = 25)
• “The results of the pivotal study for Temcell HS Injection did not achieve the prespecified threshold for efficacy evaluation; however, additional analyses considering differences in the subjects’ demographics, such as symptoms and severities of GVHD between the pivotal study and foreign studies, indicated suitable efficacy and an overall benefit of Temcell HS Injection for steroid-refractory acute GVHD. Together, the results of these evaluations led to full marketing authorization.”

Again FULL APPROVAL for a smaller trial than ONE-BRIDGE and that did not meet the prespecified threshold for efficacy evaluation. VERY ENCOURAGING for ONE-BRIDGE to gain full approval.

Below is a table of all the approvals and linked Review Reports - hoping the hive mind here can dive into this and share any analysis and insights.

Source ( Regenerative Medical Products | Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (pmda.go.jp)

I have had a mole all my life, same size and appearance but at times it itched. Had it biopsied and came back as "compound melanocytic nevus with architectural disorder and moderate to severe cytologic atypism of melanocytes"(Dysplastic nevus, moderate to severe).

Dermatologist advised to go further in and cut more and would need about 6 stiches. No big deal. But was reading that these could be watched to see if they return and that the majority of them are benign. The mole was removed and area has healed and no more mole.

What is the best thing to do? Just watch or cut deeper?

Really hoping someone might be able to give me a better understanding of this so I can stop being so anxious until I'm able to speak to the doctor. I was sent this report yesterday and tried to call for clarification but wasn't able to get through and of course I started googling which was a bad call... I've got a significant history of cancer in my family, melanoma included, which is not helping my anxiety right now. Any info that anyone has is so appreciated.

Surgical Pathology

DIAGNOSIS Left posterior thigh, skin shave biopsy: - Lentiginous junctional dysplastic melanocytic nevus with moderate atypia and adnexal involvement, present at the peripheral and deep specimen edges

ADDITIONAL STUDIES Immunohistochemistry Studies: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections are studied using the polymer technique with appropriate positive and negative controls. These IHC studies provide the pathologist with adjunctive diagnostic information. Antibody spe cificity has been verified by testing antibodies on a series of in-house tissues with known immunohistochemical performance characteristics. The clinical interpretation of any antibody positive staining or its absence is evaluated within the context of clinical presentation, morphology, histopathological criteria and other diagnostic tests.

Block Antibody Result (Positive/Negative) A1 PRAME Rare cells

Multiple deeper sections have been examined. SPECIMEN(S) SUBMITTED A - skin; left posterior thigh, skin shave biopsy (1)

CLINICAL INFORMATION On the left posterior thigh there is an irregularly pigmented brown papule; nevus rule out atypia

SPECIMEN PROCESSING A - Labeled/Fixative: Patient demographics, formalin. Quantity/Size: Single, 0.8 x 0.5 x 0.1 cm. Tissue Description: White-tan skin shave with a central 0.4 x 0.4 cm irregularly shaped brown macule. Sections/Processing: Inked, trisected and entirely submitted in 1 cassette labeled A1. MLL

I have a huge familiar cancer history. My dad died with Stage IV melanoma at +-30 years old, my mom died with breast cancer at 35 years old, my aunt (her sister) died with exactly the same cancer at 40 years old and my grandmother died with ovarian cancer when really old. Recently I've noticed a growing mole at the sole of my right foot. I'm white, probably Fitzpatrick type II, and in Brazil you gotta deal with scorching sun the whole time. This mole grew from sub-1mm to around 4mm (measured with a ruler) in around 3 to 4 years. When it finally hit 4mm, I booked a visit to the dermatologist.

The derm analyzed it with the dermatoscope and immediately looked worried. She called a friend, and both of them came to the same conclusion: it was an acral melanoma due to its very pronounced "parallel ridge pattern", my family history and the growing history. She said that considering it was a 4mm mole it probably wasn't very deep so I shouldn't fret about it, it was probably in situ or Stage I. I was immediately booked to an excisional biopsy, unfortunately 1 month later.

Did it, a plastic surgeon removed the mole with some margins. Biopsy results 15 days later, the same day I would also remove the stitches. It sucks to have stitches on the sole of your feet, but it went well.

Well, that day was yesterday. I got the biopsy results and went back to the dermatologist. The results were (I'm translating this from Portuguese so it can have some errors considering I don't know the medical terminology):

"Macroscopic Exam:

The specimen consists of an eliptical fragment of skin measuring 0.6x0.5x0.2cm on the axis. Presents a light brown area of estriated aspect and elastic consistency. TM: 1B/4F.

Microscopic Exam:

The material embedded in paraffin referent to the sample sent to analysis allowed us to conclude:

JUNCTIONAL MELANOCYTIC NEVUS. CIRCUNFERENTIAL AND DEEP MARGINS, BOTH CLEAR."

My dermatologist acted equally surprised when she got the results. I was sent home, removed the stitches and now I'm waiting for it to heal once again 'cause apparently I removed the stitches too early lol.

But yeah, this goes out to show you guys that having a very ugly mole that clearly looks like cancer DOES NOT mean it actually is cancer. Even TWO trained dermatologists using special equipment (a dermatoscope) couldn't correctly identify it as a junctional, benign nevus. Only a biopsy can give you accurate results, PERIOD. Do not self diagnose, do not fret and also do not post m

I got the pathology report, it's really confusing and offers no answers.

Skin, left mid back, punch biopsy: severely atypical dermal-epidermal melanocytic proliferation with severe dermal atypia expanding for a depth of .78mm. SUSPICIOUS OF, ALTHOUGH NOT DIAGNOSTIC FOR NEVOID MELANOMA, at a depth of .78mm, superficial Clark's level iv equivalent. possibly arising in association in a dysplastic nevus extending to peripheral side margins.

Microscopic descriptions:

Initial histologic sections from specimen labeled "left mid back" reveal a punch biopsy of skin showing a compound melanocytic proliferation with attenuation of the epidermis, nested and lentiginous confluence of melanocytes along the dermal/epidermal junction. Nests of epithelioid melanocytes are noted in the underlying dermis showing expansion of the papillary dermis. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes are absent. There is ABSENCE of MITOSES, however, increased N/C ratios are noted at deeper portions biopsy specimen.

Hey everyone 32 year old male who tries to avoid the sun put sun screen on constantly etc. I decided to go in for my yearly check up with the derm.He was looking over my body and i guess in my inner thigh close to my groin id say smaller then a pencil eraser head was a black flat mole which he said looks suspicious and we should remove it and biopsy it. Well let me tell you, I deal with anxiety and hypochondria bad to a point where i go see someone and i just started to have a melt down in the office. He said i wouldnt lose sleep over it but im freaking out thinking i got cancer in a spot that never seen the sun! So im getting it removed this monday and on the paper it said melanocytic nevus which i have no idea what that is and im to scared to google it. Am i over reacting just a bit?When the doc saw me freak out in the middle of the office he wasn't to sure what to do. Any feedback would be great so i never dealt with this before.

I (38F) had a skin shave biopsy a couple weeks ago on my right medial thigh. One pathologist’s report stated “DYSPLASTIC MELANOCYTIC NEVUS, COMPOUND TYPE WITH SEVERE ATYPIA, COMPLETELY EXCISED”. The slide was sent to another path as well, whose report stated “LENTIGINOUS JUNCTIONAL DYSPLASTIC NEVUS WITH SEVERE CYTOLOGICAL ATYPIA, FOCALLY CONSISTENT WITH EVOLVING MALIGNANT MELANOMA IN SITU, NOT EXTENDING TO THE TISSUE EDGES”.

I am going for a Wide Local Excision next week, but I’m confused by the two different reports. Do I have Melanoma In Situ, or does the mole have the potential to turn into it? Im not sure why the first doctor didn’t find that it was melanoma. How do I get definite confirmation if it is indeed melanoma?

I appreciate any help anyone can provide. I’m having a lot of anxiety over this. I’ve had a few bad sunburns and my father has had melanoma, so I know I have to be extra careful.

MELANOCYTIC NEVUS, COMPOUND TYPE, WITH UNUSUAL FEATURES.

NOTE: Nest confluence and a spindled morphology to some of the melanocytes are unusual changes, while the remaining sharp circumscription and relative symmetry favor melanocytic nevus. The nevus appears to be excised in these sections. Clinical follow up of the area would be reasonable. Deeper sections were obtained, showing similar findings.

Does this mean Melanoma? I just got the report from the biopsy. What are unusual findings? I’m pretty scared

I got the pathology report, it's really confusing and offers no answers.

Skin, left mid back, punch biopsy: severely atypical dermal-epidermal melanocytic proliferation with severe dermal atypia expanding for a depth of .78mm. SUSPICIOUS OF, ALTHOUGH NOT DIAGNOSTIC FOR NEVOID MELANOMA, at a depth of .78mm, superficial Clark's level iv equivalent. possibly arising in association in a dysplastic nevus extending to peripheral side margins.

Microscopic descriptions:

Initial histologic sections from specimen labeled "left mid back" reveal a punch biopsy of skin showing a compound melanocytic proliferation with attenuation of the epidermis, nested and lentiginous confluence of melanocytes along the dermal/epidermal junction. Nests of epithelioid melanocytes are noted in the underlying dermis showing expansion of the papillary dermis. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes are absent. There is ABSENCE of MITOSES, however, increased N/C ratios are noted at deeper portions biopsy specimen.

Hey everyone 32 year old male who tries to avoid the sun put sun screen on constantly etc. I decided to go in for my yearly check up with the derm.He was looking over my body and i guess in my inner thigh close to my groin id say smaller then a pencil eraser head was a black flat mole which he said looks suspicious and we should remove it and biopsy it. Well let me tell you, I deal with anxiety and hypochondria bad to a point where i go see someone and i just started to have a melt down in the office. He said i wouldnt lose sleep over it but im freaking out thinking i got cancer in a spot that never seen the sun! So im getting it removed this monday and on the paper it said melanocytic nevus which i have no idea what that is and im to scared to google it. Am i over reacting just a bit? Any feedback would be great so i never dealt with this before.