CASE REPORT   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2017 December;152(6):658-62

DOI: 10.23736/S0392-0488.16.05376-1

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Intralesional (incision) biopsy for melanoma diagnosis: the rules and the exception

Elvira MOSCARELLA ¹ ✉, Giuseppe ARGENZIANO ², Claudia MORENO ³, Simonetta PIANA ⁴, Aimilios LALLAS ¹, Mara LOMBARDI ¹, Caterina LONGO ¹, Gerardo FERRARA ⁵

¹ Unit of Dermatology and Skin Cancer, 1st Medical Department, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova Institute for Research and Care, Reggio Emilia, Italy; ² Department of Dermatology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy; ³ Department of Dermatology, Clinical Hospital University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; ⁴ Department of Dermatopathology, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova Institute for Research and Care, Reggio Emilia, Italy; ⁵ Unit of Anatomic Pathology, Gaetano Rummo General Hospital, Benevento, Italy

Intralesional (incision) biopsy for melanoma diagnosis can be warranted for large lesions or for those lesions whose in-toto excision leads to cosmetic and/or functional impairment. However, this diagnostic approach carries a risk of underdiagnosis, if a clinicopathologic diagnostic approach is not implemented. As a rule, in large pigmented lesions from special body areas (scalp and acral skin), clinicodermoscopic differential diagnosis of melanoma includes non-melanocytic skin lesions, traumatic skin changes, and nevi. The unique indication to incision biopsy for the differential diagnosis between nevus and melanoma is a relatively small nodular proliferation developing within a medium-large congenital nevus.

KEY WORDS: Dermoscopy - Histology - Melanoma - Skin diseases - Biopsy