What Happens if a Mole Biopsy Is Positive? (2024)

FAQs

What happens if a mole biopsy comes back positive? ›

Generally, after a patient receives positive melanoma results, his or her doctors will need to proceed with staging the malignancy— which essentially means determining the extent of the cancer—and developing a treatment plan based on how far the cancer has progressed.

A normal biopsy result means no cancer or skin disease was found. An abnormal biopsy result may diagnose a specific skin condition. But sometimes abnormal results aren't clear, and you may need more tests to find out exactly what condition you have. Your provider can explain what your results mean.

Another important factor is whether there are cancer cells at the margins, or edges, of the biopsy sample. A “positive” or “involved” margin means there are cancer cells in the margin. This means that it is likely that cancerous cells are still in the body. Lymph nodes.

A biopsy is sometimes inconclusive, which means it hasn't produced a definitive result. In this case, the biopsy may need to be repeated, or other tests may be required to confirm your diagnosis.

Most people with melanoma need to have surgery. In some cases, melanomas may be treated by immunotherapy and targeted therapy, and (less frequently) radiotherapy. Your doctor will advise you on the best treatment for your cancer.

What percentage can we expect? A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology suggests around 7% of suspicious mole removal is cancerous. This number drops when accounting for all moles removed, as most are benign (non-cancerous).

Treatment for melanoma usually includes surgery to remove the melanoma. A very thin melanoma may be removed entirely during the biopsy and require no further treatment. Otherwise, your surgeon will remove the cancer as well as some of the healthy tissue around it.

Class I: Nevi and other benign proliferations (83 percent) Class II: Moderately dysplastic and other low-risk lesions (8.3 percent) Class III: Melanoma in-situ and other higher-risk lesions (4.5 percent) Class IV/V: Invasive melanoma (4.1 percent)

The goal of treatment is to remove all of the cancer. For this reason, surgery is often part of the treatment plan. When found early, a type of surgery called excision surgery may be the only treatment you need. A dermatologist can often perform this surgery during an office visit while you remain awake.

If you have a biopsy resulting in a cancer diagnosis, the pathology report will help you and your doctor talk about the next steps. You will likely be referred to a breast cancer specialist, and you may need more scans, lab tests, or surgery.

Can you stage melanoma from a biopsy? ›

The results of these tests are viewed, along with the results of the biopsy, to determine the stage of the melanoma. The stage is based on: The depth of the original melanoma and other pathologic features of the original melanoma. Whether cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes or to other parts of the body.

Results: The mean percentage of biopsies that were malignant was 44.5%. This varied by subspecialty with a mean of 41.7%, 57.4%, and 4.1% of biopsies performed by general dermatologists, Mohs micrographic surgeons, and pediatric dermatologists, respectively.

Is It Bad News if Biopsy Results Take Longer? The timeline for receiving biopsy results does not inherently signify the severity of the diagnosis. While swift results are often desirable, various factors can contribute to longer waiting periods.

The treating doctor relies on this final diagnosis to help decide on the next steps, possibly including treatment options. In some situations, a biopsy result might be inconclusive, which means that the pathologist can't say for sure what the diagnosis is, based on the tests that were done.

Sometimes, the result of a biopsy will be inconclusive, meaning that the test has not produced a definitive result. This can happen for several reasons: There could have been a problem processing the sample, the sample didn't contain enough of the affected tissue or the sample size was not large enough.

Class I: Nevi and other benign proliferations (83 percent) Class II: Moderately dysplastic and other low-risk lesions (8.3 percent) Class III: Melanoma in-situ and other higher-risk lesions (4.5 percent) Class IV/V: Invasive melanoma (4.1 percent)

An atypical mole doesn't need further treatment unless a skin biopsy indicates cancer or pre-cancerous changes. Your healthcare provider may use the terms atypical melanocytic hyperplasia or moderately to severely dysplastic to describe biopsy results. Such results indicate a higher risk of cancer.

Skin cancer diagnosis always requires a skin biopsy

The procedure that your dermatologist uses to remove the spot is called a skin biopsy. Having a skin biopsy is essential. It's the only way to know whether you have skin cancer. There's no other way to know for sure.