Doc says all clear - But questions re Report

ME AGAIN · New User Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 3

My doc's office left a message saying my 2 spots biopsied for melanoma came back all clear. I called back to get the path reports.

Mole 1: Junctional nevus, Clark's type with features of simple lentigo. Note - The neoplasm appears to be completely excised in the sections examined.

Mole 2: Compound nevus, Clark's type (handwritten next to that says (atypical nevus)). Note - the neoplasm appears to be completely excised in the sections examined.

My concerns are:
1. Clark's nevus is dysplastic/atypical. The note also labels one as atypical. It's my understanding that Atypicals are rated Mild, Moderate, Severe. There is no report on this.
2. No mention of the thickness of these.
3. No mention of the actual size of the margins.

I called back to see if there are other more detailed reports that I didn't get because there's no detail here and a path report should have that. If the Atypia is Moderate or Severe - that calls for excision. I've never seen such a lame little report in my life. I need to make sure I'm going to be OK here and don't need excision, etc. If this report is the full report from this doc - then I need a 2nd opinion.

Thoughts?

ME AGAIN · New User Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 3

I called back and there is no extra report. So I have Clark's/Dysplastic nevi/Atypical nevi with no grading of mild, moderate, severe.

I'm a bit surprised at this. I looked up the "dermatopathologist" on the net and he has 31 years experience.

Wondering if I should take the slides for a 2nd opinion to get the degree of atypia or if I should just be happy and watchful.

rlee · Site Admin Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 245

The person probably didn't bother because these weren't malignant melanoma. A 2nd opinion never hurts from an experienced person, especially if it brings peace of mind. Good luck.
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RLee, MD

Any information provided is NOT intended to provide specific medical advice to users but rather to provide users with information to help them better understand their health condition and related care. All readers are strongly encouraged to consult with a qualified physician for answers to their personal medical questions.

almekay · New User Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 4

my mother died of melanoma in 1980. i recently had 3 biopsies done on 3 different parts of my body and all three came back as abnormal cells. I have appt tomorrow to get them removed. what are the odds of all three being abnormal and me not have melanoma? i'm sure the lab would not tell me it was malignant over the phone, right?

ME AGAIN · New User Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 3

RLee - Thanks. It just bugs me because even the pathology report for my cat's fatty cyst was a few paragraphs long!! My goal is to find out what this pathologists 'report style' is. But till then, it does irk me that there's no detail on the degree of atypicalness. No hint at all. Hopefully, his non-discription translates to 'mild'. I know it's not melanoma but I'd sure like to know if it was 'almost' there or on the cusp vs. just a tad dysplastic.

Almekay - How did they take the biopsies and how are they going to remove the spots tomorrow? I know this probably is no help, but try not to worry like I did. I had a pretty ugly week because of it. They might want to be a bit more agressive with removal due to a family history? IDK.

PLEASE write back tomorrow and let us know how it went.

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