› Forums › General Melanoma Community › New to the Forum/ Biopsy results
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Tim–MRF.
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- December 22, 2016 at 4:02 pm
Hey everyone! I am new to the forum and have just gotten the results of a biopsy I had 2 weeks ago.
It says my mole is 1.2cm X 0.9cm X 0.7cm and has an irregular epidermal surface.
It also says in the microscopic analysis that:
– histological cuts show fragments of skin with proliferation of fusiform or dendritic cells, intensely pigmented. Distributed in dense collagen.
– and that the borders are clean.
the final diagnosis presented (in the biopsy) is a blue neavus.
I sent my dermatologist the results and she said that they're normal and I shouldn't worry. I'm scared because the results seem so scientific and weird and I don't know how to interpret them.
Has anyone else had any results similar to this?
Also, the pathology report was really short. It had 3 lines written and it didn't have any of the markers tested and any other information. I thought that was a bit odd.
Anyways,
Should I get a second opinion on the results? I have a family history of skin cancer (mostly melanoma) and I know it's not something to play with.
thanks for your time :).
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- December 22, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Marina:
I am not a doctor, but let me try to address your question.
Pathology reports are always very scientific. They are written for doctors rather than patients so technical language is more precise. A doctor will say "hematoma" when you or I would say "bruise"–they are the same thing. Basically the report says they saw two types of cells.
Fusiform is another word for "spindle-like" and refers to the shape of the skin cells. Some squamous cell carcinomas involve spindle cells. These may be a bit abnormal but are not considered to be life-threatening or dangerous.
Dendritic cells are part of the body's immune system and help the T-cells identify foreign material called antigens. They essentially "present" the antigen to the T-cell and communicate that this is something the T-cell should get rid of. They are very common in parts of the body that interact with the environment, like the skin.
Nothing abnormal about either of the above. What is abnormal–but not a problem–is that they are so highly pigmented. This just means that the melanocytes are active, but does not mean that the melanocytes have become cancerous and turned into melanoma. The only reason this is a "blue" nevus is that it is deeper in the skin that normal benign moles. That deeper level makes the spot appear blue.
Since you have skin cancer in your family you are correct to be diligent, but this pathology report and diagnosis is nothing to worry about, in my non-medical opinion.
Tim–MRF
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- December 22, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Marina:
I am not a doctor, but let me try to address your question.
Pathology reports are always very scientific. They are written for doctors rather than patients so technical language is more precise. A doctor will say "hematoma" when you or I would say "bruise"–they are the same thing. Basically the report says they saw two types of cells.
Fusiform is another word for "spindle-like" and refers to the shape of the skin cells. Some squamous cell carcinomas involve spindle cells. These may be a bit abnormal but are not considered to be life-threatening or dangerous.
Dendritic cells are part of the body's immune system and help the T-cells identify foreign material called antigens. They essentially "present" the antigen to the T-cell and communicate that this is something the T-cell should get rid of. They are very common in parts of the body that interact with the environment, like the skin.
Nothing abnormal about either of the above. What is abnormal–but not a problem–is that they are so highly pigmented. This just means that the melanocytes are active, but does not mean that the melanocytes have become cancerous and turned into melanoma. The only reason this is a "blue" nevus is that it is deeper in the skin that normal benign moles. That deeper level makes the spot appear blue.
Since you have skin cancer in your family you are correct to be diligent, but this pathology report and diagnosis is nothing to worry about, in my non-medical opinion.
Tim–MRF
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- December 22, 2016 at 7:30 pm
Marina:
I am not a doctor, but let me try to address your question.
Pathology reports are always very scientific. They are written for doctors rather than patients so technical language is more precise. A doctor will say "hematoma" when you or I would say "bruise"–they are the same thing. Basically the report says they saw two types of cells.
Fusiform is another word for "spindle-like" and refers to the shape of the skin cells. Some squamous cell carcinomas involve spindle cells. These may be a bit abnormal but are not considered to be life-threatening or dangerous.
Dendritic cells are part of the body's immune system and help the T-cells identify foreign material called antigens. They essentially "present" the antigen to the T-cell and communicate that this is something the T-cell should get rid of. They are very common in parts of the body that interact with the environment, like the skin.
Nothing abnormal about either of the above. What is abnormal–but not a problem–is that they are so highly pigmented. This just means that the melanocytes are active, but does not mean that the melanocytes have become cancerous and turned into melanoma. The only reason this is a "blue" nevus is that it is deeper in the skin that normal benign moles. That deeper level makes the spot appear blue.
Since you have skin cancer in your family you are correct to be diligent, but this pathology report and diagnosis is nothing to worry about, in my non-medical opinion.
Tim–MRF
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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