Spitz naevus

Yes, I'd say completely excised means clear margins if that is what the path report states. 

They take extra margins all the time with atypical moles – it is "just in case".  Atypical moles are not melanoma but… just in case they miss a bad cell, they want to have extra margins to remove any cells that might have escaped the main tumor.  5mm margins are typically taken for severely atypical moles as well as melanoma in situ.  (Conservative margins – 2-3mm – may be taken for less atypical moles).  So extra margins, in your case, is just a conservative measure.  I wouldn't read anything in to it except doctors being cautious.

Yes, I'd say completely excised means clear margins if that is what the path report states. 

They take extra margins all the time with atypical moles – it is "just in case".  Atypical moles are not melanoma but… just in case they miss a bad cell, they want to have extra margins to remove any cells that might have escaped the main tumor.  5mm margins are typically taken for severely atypical moles as well as melanoma in situ.  (Conservative margins – 2-3mm – may be taken for less atypical moles).  So extra margins, in your case, is just a conservative measure.  I wouldn't read anything in to it except doctors being cautious.

Yes, I'd say completely excised means clear margins if that is what the path report states. 

They take extra margins all the time with atypical moles – it is "just in case".  Atypical moles are not melanoma but… just in case they miss a bad cell, they want to have extra margins to remove any cells that might have escaped the main tumor.  5mm margins are typically taken for severely atypical moles as well as melanoma in situ.  (Conservative margins – 2-3mm – may be taken for less atypical moles).  So extra margins, in your case, is just a conservative measure.  I wouldn't read anything in to it except doctors being cautious.

I was 35 when I had a spitz removed.  It was tiny maybe 3-4 mm, pink shiny bump. I noticed it in the summer and it annoyed me because I didn't know what it was. It never grew and last feb had a WLE to remove it.  I think my dermatopathologist did 3-4mm margins ( I may be wrong)  I actually spoke with my dermatopathologist because I was very nervous about it as well.  He explained in an adult you can never simply diagnose a normal spitz.  It will always be spitz Nevus with a differential diagnosis depending on the characteristics.   He said mine was as close to a normal  spitz as possible, small, symmetrical, shiny, pinkish lesion with no growth, he then explained the pathology of mine but that was so over my head .he explained that the differential diagnosis was atypical spitz.   Had my lesion had other funky characteristics, large, growing, multicolored, bleeding, etc and the pathology read different the diagnosis would have been atypical spitz with a dif diagnosis of melanoma and he would have sent my slides out to an expert for a second opinion.  What put my mind at ease was he said your lesion was so small even if it was a melanoma the likely  hood this will haunt you is so slim.  The margins would have been slightly larger but with my WLE I had clear margins.  I do not think you should worry too much as you received the appropriate standard of care ! 

Just to put your mind at ease there are a few pub med studies of the long term prognosis of these lesions.  One study looked at 157 patients and followed them over 9.1 years.  Only 1 patient had a distant metastases…and that patient also had a separate superficial spreading melanoma.  At 9.1 years  none of the patients had passed away.  Your lymph node may be enlarged because of the biopsy.  When I had my spitz removed my wound was nasty !!! If the lesion was excised and margins clear it is very very rare that this will haunt you. 

Just to put your mind at ease there are a few pub med studies of the long term prognosis of these lesions.  One study looked at 157 patients and followed them over 9.1 years.  Only 1 patient had a distant metastases…and that patient also had a separate superficial spreading melanoma.  At 9.1 years  none of the patients had passed away.  Your lymph node may be enlarged because of the biopsy.  When I had my spitz removed my wound was nasty !!! If the lesion was excised and margins clear it is very very rare that this will haunt you. 

Just to put your mind at ease there are a few pub med studies of the long term prognosis of these lesions.  One study looked at 157 patients and followed them over 9.1 years.  Only 1 patient had a distant metastases…and that patient also had a separate superficial spreading melanoma.  At 9.1 years  none of the patients had passed away.  Your lymph node may be enlarged because of the biopsy.  When I had my spitz removed my wound was nasty !!! If the lesion was excised and margins clear it is very very rare that this will haunt you. 

I was 35 when I had a spitz removed.  It was tiny maybe 3-4 mm, pink shiny bump. I noticed it in the summer and it annoyed me because I didn't know what it was. It never grew and last feb had a WLE to remove it.  I think my dermatopathologist did 3-4mm margins ( I may be wrong)  I actually spoke with my dermatopathologist because I was very nervous about it as well.  He explained in an adult you can never simply diagnose a normal spitz.  It will always be spitz Nevus with a differential diagnosis depending on the characteristics.   He said mine was as close to a normal  spitz as possible, small, symmetrical, shiny, pinkish lesion with no growth, he then explained the pathology of mine but that was so over my head .he explained that the differential diagnosis was atypical spitz.   Had my lesion had other funky characteristics, large, growing, multicolored, bleeding, etc and the pathology read different the diagnosis would have been atypical spitz with a dif diagnosis of melanoma and he would have sent my slides out to an expert for a second opinion.  What put my mind at ease was he said your lesion was so small even if it was a melanoma the likely  hood this will haunt you is so slim.  The margins would have been slightly larger but with my WLE I had clear margins.  I do not think you should worry too much as you received the appropriate standard of care ! 

I was 35 when I had a spitz removed.  It was tiny maybe 3-4 mm, pink shiny bump. I noticed it in the summer and it annoyed me because I didn't know what it was. It never grew and last feb had a WLE to remove it.  I think my dermatopathologist did 3-4mm margins ( I may be wrong)  I actually spoke with my dermatopathologist because I was very nervous about it as well.  He explained in an adult you can never simply diagnose a normal spitz.  It will always be spitz Nevus with a differential diagnosis depending on the characteristics.   He said mine was as close to a normal  spitz as possible, small, symmetrical, shiny, pinkish lesion with no growth, he then explained the pathology of mine but that was so over my head .he explained that the differential diagnosis was atypical spitz.   Had my lesion had other funky characteristics, large, growing, multicolored, bleeding, etc and the pathology read different the diagnosis would have been atypical spitz with a dif diagnosis of melanoma and he would have sent my slides out to an expert for a second opinion.  What put my mind at ease was he said your lesion was so small even if it was a melanoma the likely  hood this will haunt you is so slim.  The margins would have been slightly larger but with my WLE I had clear margins.  I do not think you should worry too much as you received the appropriate standard of care !