Difficult early melanomas

There is a spectrum of melanocytic tumors from benign to malignant. The goal of the dermatologist is to identify and remove early melanomas because doing so can be lifesaving. At the same time, it is inappropriate to randomly remove benign nevi. Dermatoscopy is an additional tool that can be used to help discriminate features that may assist in the diagnosis of melanoma. Even with dermatoscopy, identification of an early melanoma can be difficult. It is important to consider all clinical information available when making a management decision.