Skin cancer/melanoma on neck

I'd be grateful for some opinions of this mole I found on my neck. Does anyone have any idea of whether this might be cancerous, and if so, what type of melanoma it might be? See picture for further details. Many thanks

[StreetSpirit]

Some additional information i should probably have included:

I'm a 30-year-old caucasian male, I discovered the anomaly today, i do not use sunbeds or tanning salons, i am subjected to minimal sun exposure, i do not have any history of severe sunburn, i have been a heavy smoker and drinker for 15 years, and in addition to cigarettes: for the last 5 years i have been using large quantities of nicotine by way of transdermal patch (42mg daily, as prescribed by my gastroenterologist to treat ulcerative pancolitis.) and i suffer from moderately severe Contact allergic dermatitis.

Thankyou in advance for any help or advice, it is much appreciated.

[Staschou]

Look into this web site for the pictures - to compare -

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skincancer.html


Hope that it is benign.......

Stan

[StreetSpirit]

Thanks for your response.

I've looked through many images from multiple sources, and unfortunately the colours, irregular size, asymmetry and location of the mole (back of my neck) seem all to correlate horribly well with this:

http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/four_types.html#Superficial%20Spreading%20Melanoma

I've arranged an appointment with a dermatologist, but right now all i can do is sit and wait.

If anyone has any data/statistics they can provide me with, with regards to: 1) the chances of this being benign given the information i have provided, and(/or) 2) an estimated prognosis should it prove to be melanoma, I would very much appreciate it.

I find that 'not knowing' is very hard to cope with; I would appreciate any input from people with knowledge of this condition, whether the news be good or bad.

Thankyou.

[Pum]

Now I'm not a doctor and it is good you are seeing a dermatologist but I am pretty sure this is not a melanoma. Try looking at some pictures of seborrhoeic keratoses as well and see what you think. It looks like one to me.

Take care of yourself while waiting and let us know how you get on at the dermatologist.

[StreetSpirit]

Thankyou for your input Pum.

I've briefly looked into the condition you specified, however... i can't find any reference to a mole evolving into the shapes commonly seen in seborrhoeic keratoses. To clarify: the anomaly pictured in the image provided was once a normal mole. It has since taken on the abnormal features i have described and illustrated. On that basis, the information provided to me online would suggest that this not a case of  seborrhoeic keratoses.

Thankyou again for taking the time to respond. Any more suggestions would be appreciated.

[fishguy]

Doesn't look like seborrhoeic keratosis, and at your age seb K is unusual.
The presence of hair makes it most likely to be a naevus. The colour looks relatively uniform and benign, but with a size over 6mm and recent increase, malignant change cannot be completely ruled out. The dermatologist will most likely use a dermatoscope to have a closer look for you - if its a major concern, then excision may be the right way forward.
Prognosis, if it does turn out to be melanoma, depends primarily on the thickness of the tumour and then on other factors such as evidence of spread etc. You only know the thickness if it has been cut out.
More info can be found at:
http://www.surgerywise.com/procedure_info/melanoma.htm

Hope it turns out ok

[StreetSpirit]

A "naevus" is a birthmark, is it not? In which case wouldn't it have been present and remain unaltered since birth? To clarify again, this was once a perfectly symmetrical mole, which has evolved into this new, asymmetrical, multi-coloured, significantly larger anomaly with badly-defined borders. Judging by what i've read online, it would appear not to be a naevus.

Thanks for responding.