Mole--Waiting for more results

My breast surgeon noticed a mole on my abdomen that he thought should be biopsied (I have recurring cysts in my breast and receive regular follow-up care). It was a mole that I

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

1.  Yes.
2. Pathologists often have some measure of debate about pigmented lesions.  However, it seems clear that you don't have melanoma--the only question is the degree of atypicality.  No one even knows whether atypical moles will progress to melanoma, so the usual prudent process is to take them off.  The margins of normal tissue recommended depend on how atypical the mole is judged to be, but in no case are they as extensive as they would be for actual melanoma.

I would rely on the judgment of the Hershey dermatopathologist over those of the local pathologists.  I would not in any case worry about actual melanoma, which you almost certainly don't have.

The nurse's behavior, as you rep rt it, is outrageous and unacceptable.  You must bring this to the doctor's attention, so that only personnel who know what reports mean pass the information on to patients.

As to the one-week wait, I will only note that my own skin pathologist gets reports out to me in 24 hours.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff