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