MONDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- In patients who undergo biopsy of benign to moderately dysplastic melanocytic nevi, there is a low rate of clinical recurrence, so re-excision may not be necessary, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Agnessa Gadeliya Goodson, M.D., of the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City, and colleagues studied 115 patients who underwent a nevus biopsy at least two years previously, and assessed 271 biopsy sites for clinical recurrence.
The researchers observed a clinical recurrence in only seven (3.6 percent) of the 195 dysplastic nevi with more than two years of follow-up. There were 98 dysplastic nevi with a follow-up period of at least four years and no clinical recurrence. They also observed a clinical recurrence in only two (3.3 percent) of the 61 benign nevus biopsy sites. They found that recurrence was significantly associated with shave biopsy technique but not with nevus dysplasia or subtype, or with the presence of positive margin or congenital features.
"We still believe that nevi with severe dysplasia should be re-excised to ensure complete removal, given that such lesions may represent evolving melanoma or could later be reinterpreted as melanoma given the possibility of interobserver variation among pathologists as noted above," the authors conclude. "However, our data suggest that lesions that demonstrate only mild or moderate dysplasia may not need to be re-excised given their low likelihood of recurrence, and can be followed clinically for evidence of recurrence or development of any concerning features."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
