moles Flashcards
(20 cards)
what are moles also known as
melanocytic naevi
what are the two main types of moles
congenital and acquired
what are congenital moles
present on skin from birth. 1-2% of babies have these
what are the 3 types of congenital moles (sizes)
small = <2mm medium = >2mm-<20mm large = garment type lesion
what is the treatment for congenital moles
leave them alone
what is the treatment for large congenital moles, why?
staged surgical excision
10-15% risk of melanoma
describe how moles are acquired
during infancy melanocyte to keratinocyte ratio breaks down at a number of sites forming moles
describe the pathway of mole development
childhood = melanocytes proliferate causing clusters at the junction
adolescence = compound naevus: clusters are located at the junction and in groups within the dermis
adulthood = intradermal naevus: al junctional activity ceases and clusters are entirely dermal
what is a dysplastic naevi
archiectural and cellular atypia. the epidermis is not affected. pre-malignant
what are the two types of dysplastic naevi
sporadic
familial
describe the features of SPORADIC dysplastic naevi
not inherited
1 to several atypical naevi
risk of malignancy slightly raised
describe the features of FAMILIAL dysplastic naevi
strong FH (autosomal inheritance) many atypical naevi (100+) lifetime risk of melanoma = 100%
describe the appearance of dysplastic naevi
generally >6mm
variegated pigment
border asymmetry
what is a halo naevi
rare
peripheral halo of depigmentation
what is a blue naevi
rare
entirely dermal, consisting of pigment rich dendritic spindle cells
what are the features of a halo naevi
inflammatory regression
overrun with lymphocytes
what features may be present in a blue naevi
mitoses
may mimic melanoma
what is a spitz naevi
incredibly rare. benign
large spindle and/or epithelioid cells
who gets spitz naevi
<20 yrs old
what is the appearance of spitz naevi
pink due to prominent vasculature
closely mimic melanoma
