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Benign or Malign: How to Tell?
Your Weekly Prompt to the Science of Skin and Success.
DFPC Team
April 24, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Welcome back, DERM Community!
Psoriasis and Eczema was fun last week, but I personally prefer this topic...
As dermatology professionals, one of the most anxiety-inducing questions patients (and clinicians) face is: “Is this cancer?”
While experience helps, identifying suspicious lesions early, and confidently, is key to saving lives.
Let’s say a patient comes in for a routine skin check. You notice a pigmented lesion on their back. It’s asymmetrical, irregular in border, and showing a mix of colors. They say it’s been there for years, but their partner recently noticed it’s changing.
Do you watch and wait… or biopsy?
Knowing the difference between benign skin lesions and potentially malignant ones can be life-changing. Let’s sharpen our skills.
Featured on This Week’s Chapter:
You’re scanning the skin: shoulders, back, arms. Most of what you see looks routine: a few sunspots, seborrheic keratoses, maybe a cherry angioma here and there. Then your eyes land on that one.
It’s darker than the rest. Uneven. Just a little…off.
Your mind starts running through possibilities: 1. could be nothing, 2. could be something. 3. could it be..?
And that tiny flicker of concern? That’s your clinical intuition kicking in.
So trust your training. And always, always trust that gut feeling.
If you’re still a bit lost, we’ve got you covered:
Benign or Malignant? Let’s Compare.
When faced with a new or changing skin lesion, the lines between harmless and harmful can feel blurry, even for seasoned clinicians.
That’s why we’ve broken it down into a quick comparison table of clinical clues to help you spot the red flags and differentiate benign lesions from those that warrant a closer look.
From shape and color to growth rate and dermoscopic patterns, this chart is designed to sharpen your diagnostic eye 👁️
Visual Diagnosis 101: The ABCDEs of Melanoma
Benign or malignant? Sometimes, it all starts with one mole but the signs are often right there on the surface.
To make early recognition easier, dermatologists rely on the ABCDE rule to spot suspicious lesions. It’s simple, powerful, and life-saving.
We put together a visual breakdown of what to look for 👇
Use this image to refresh your diagnostic instincts and to teach patients when to seek a second look.
And you know we’re all about FREE tools that make your diagnosis easier and help you educate your patients effectively:
So we’ve created an essential guide that breaks down key steps— from clinical assessment and patient history to dermoscopy patterns and biopsy guidelines.
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📄 Download our full guide to get:
ABCDE assessment tool with red flag indicators
Crucial patient questions to guide your diagnosis
Dermoscopy pattern comparisons to spot subtle clues
Risk stratification to make better, informed decisions
Biopsy guidelines for when to take action
It is Indeed Malignant😫
We recognize the difficulty in delivering such news, it is essential to approach these conversations with both empathy and professionalism. Breaking a difficult diagnosis to a patient requires not only clarity but also deep sensitivity, as it can significantly impact their emotional well-being.
It is important to create an environment where the patient feels safe and supported, allowing them to process the information in their own time. Speak clearly and with care, ensuring they fully understand the situation, and give them the opportunity to ask questions.
Reassure them that this is not the end of the road. With timely diagnosis and proactive care, many conditions can be managed effectively, and even prevented.
It’s all about Hope, Empathy and Support.
Opportunities for Dermatologists: Grow Your Career
👋🏻 See you next Thursday, DERM community!
Thanks for joining us in this week’s edition of Beneath the Surface.
Thank you for joining us on this journey into the world of skin lesions. We’ve covered a lot of ground, from ABCDE tips to risk stratification and dermoscopy clues, and we hope you’re walking away with new tools and insights to enhance your practice.
Diagnosis doesn’t have to be complicated, and with the right knowledge, you can make more confident decisions.
Got questions or want to dive deeper into a topic? We’re just an email away and we love hearing from you!
Stay dedicated, stay empathetic: your expertise transforms lives.
— The Derm for Primary Care Team
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