The mythical concept and untoward consequences of a diagnosis of dysplastic nevus: an overdue tribute to A. Bernard Ackerman, MD

Hurwitz, Robert; Tavel, Morton E.

doi:10.5826/dpc.0501a05

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…This belief probably arises from the concept of dysplastic naevus (DN), which was considered for many years to represent a premalignant lesion or a melanoma precursor. 38 Actually, it could be argued that the entity of 'dysplastic naevus' was conceived in order to fill the clinical and histopathological gap between benign naevus and melanoma, and unfortunately, for many clinicians, it still represents a transition phase of naevus to melanoma. Indeed, cumulative evidence has highlighted that dysplastic ('atypical') naevus represents a common type of benign melanocytic naevus that may mimic melanoma from a clinical (and dermoscopic) aspect, but does not appear to develop more readily into melanoma than typical naevi.…”

Section: Do Moles Turn Into Melanomas?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another false belief we aim to debunk is that moles carry a substantial risk for malignant degeneration. This belief probably arises from the concept of dysplastic naevus (DN), which was considered for many years to represent a premalignant lesion or a melanoma precursor . Actually, it could be argued that the entity of ‘dysplastic naevus’ was conceived in order to fill the clinical and histopathological gap between benign naevus and melanoma, and unfortunately, for many clinicians, it still represents a transition phase of naevus to melanoma.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dispelling myths concerning pigmented skin lesions

Piccolo

Russo

Giacomel³

et al. 2016

Acad Dermatol Venereol

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The history of medicine is replete with examples of debunked myths, and in daily clinical dermatological practice, we must still counter many misconceptions regarding pigmented lesions, both with patients and other medical practitioners. Debunking myths and attempting to explain the reasons for these erroneous beliefs are the purposes of this review. The literature review has been partially guided by the results obtained from an online questionnaire conducted on an Italian website (www.vediamocichiara.it) from February 15, 2015 to March 15, 2015. The remaining discussed were selected on the basis of the existing literature and our personal experience. In order to explore these misconceptions, the following are the seven most salient questions that require investigation: (i) Is it dangerous to excise moles?; (ii) Is it dangerous to traumatize moles?; (iii) Are plantar moles worrisome?; (iv) Is it necessary to selectively apply sunscreen to moles?; (v) Is it inadvisable to partially biopsy a melanoma?; (vi) Do moles turn into melanoma?; and (vii) Is it necessary to perform sentinel lymph node biopsy for thin melanomas and for atypical Spitz naevi? Myths are ubiquitous, being prevalent in dermatological practice, with many of them concerning pigmented skin lesions. By encouraging critical analysis by patients and medical practitioners, the birth and perpetuation of myths can potentially be minimized, for the ultimate benefit of patients. This requires a scientific approach to be rigorously applied to dermatology, with critical questioning of unsubstantiated hypotheses including those emanating from the mass media as well as from respected sources.

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Section: Do Moles Turn Into Melanomas?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispelling myths concerning pigmented skin lesions

Piccolo

Russo

Giacomel³

et al. 2016

Acad Dermatol Venereol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The misnomer of the word Dysplastic nevi, has just created endless needless fear and anxiety to patients and physicians alike, as well as placing patient lives in jeopardy (Hurwitz RM, and Tavel ME., 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Credible academic dermatologists and dermatopathologists have disagreed with the theories surrounding the so-called dysplastic nevus (Hurwitz RM, Tavel ME., 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%