Q. Can an unusual mole on my breast be cancer?
Hi doctor,
I had an unusual-looking mole on my breast for at least eight years. I showed it to a dermatologist as I was not happy with its appearance; it has an irregular border, several colors, and is asymmetric. I was told it is likely to be atypical, and I am going to have a biopsy this week. I know I should not have, but I picked the mole a few days ago, so it has a wound on it. Can it alter the biopsy results because I damaged the skin on one side of it? I am nervous that it will show as false cancer because I picked it. Is this possible? Please guide me, doctor.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I understand your concern and will definitely help you regarding it. I have assessed the attached images (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). Melanoma is a mole that has turned bad and changes its shape, size, or color. Did you notice any of these recently? As far as I can see it does not look very symmetric and it seems larger than six mm in diameter. Are there such lesions elsewhere on the skin as well? You are right you should not have picked the mole but it may not affect the results of histological examination. Certain immunostains like the Ki67 (nuclear protein) index and TSLC1 (tumor-suppressor gene) help in diagnosis and results depend on their ability to stain malignant or rapidly dividing cells. FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) technology provides further help to visualize that melanoma has certain gains and losses in chromosomes that simple moles do not harbor. I think you should patiently undergo a biopsy and then proceed further accordingly. Will be happy to answer any further queries. Hope for the best. Take care.
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