To those who are patients and those who follow my posts, you know that I am adamant that there has been an over-treatment of these atypical nevi for decades. In short, the data just does not support the removal of these lesions–PERIOD!
Another study was just completed at Emory University (Atlanta) and Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center. Here are their conclusions:
Re-excisions are not needed when clinically excised moderately dysplastic nevi have positive histologic margins, based on results of a retrospective study of 438 patients who were treated at nine academic medical centers in the United States. Not a single patient in the study developed melanoma at the excision site after an average follow-up of 6.9 years, and at least 3 years in all cases. [SOURCE: Kim CC et al. IID 2018, Abstract 571.]
So when your Dermatologist or the Dermatopathologist (on their pathology report) states that your moderately atypical nevus should be removed, ask Why!
