Moles that cause concern

It is strongly recommended that any pigmented lesion which cannot be diagnosed with certainty as benign should be excised and pathologically examined. In addition, any mole which is removed, no matter for what purpose, whether it is suspected of having malignant or premalignant changes or for cosmetic and functional purposes, should always be pathologically examined. If the lesion is suspected of showing malignant change, then if technically possible it should be completely excised. If the location is such, or if it is a sufficiently large lesion, that a simple complete excision cannot be performed at that time, then it is justifiable and good medical practice to do an incisional biopsy. However, if the pathological report shows that the tumor is malignant then the necessary radical surgery should be performed within 7 to 10 days of the initial biopsy. Under these circumstances, incisional biopsy does not adversely affect the prognosis. Under these circumstances, the incisional biopsy prevents unnecessary radical and sometimes mutilating surgery being performed for the treatment of a benign pigmented tumor.