A patient has a skin lesion on his shoulder. The nurse would suspect melanoma if the lesion had which of the following characteristics?

The lesion has a raised, irregular border.
The lesion is almost a centimeter wide.
The patient mentions it has grown in size recently.

Explanation

• Melanoma is a form of skin cancer

• Remember the signs of malignant skin lesions with the A, B, C, D, E system:

• Asymmetry (will not have equal halves)

• Borders (irregular outline)

• Color (can have multiple colors)

• Diameter (usually larger than 1/4 inch or the sized of a pencil eraser)

• Evolving (changes in size, shape, color)

• Benign moles are usually circular, flat, brown, and uniform

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