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Updated: Aug 22, 2026
Establishment of a Clinic-based Biorepository
Published on: May 29, 2017
Documenting dermatology practice: ratio of cutaneous tumors biopsied that are malignant
Andy Ray Green1, George W Elgart, Fangchao Ma
1Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33125, USA.
Background:
Skin biopsy is an important part of dermatology practice. Little is known regarding dermatologist biopsying practices.
Objective:
The objective was to assess the ratio of malignant lesions biopsied in practice and factors that influence this ratio.
Methods:
Using a dermatopathology database, we analyzed tumors biopsied by dermatologists to determine the ratio of malignant to all tumors (malignancy ratio). Additional analyses were performed for factors influencing this ratio.
Results:
Over 6 months, 11,072 tumors were submitted. Overall, the malignancy ratio was 41.7%, 3.8% for pigmented lesions. Practice type, location, or use of dermatoscopy did not influence this ratio; provider age was positively correlated with a higher malignancy ratio (r=0.51; p=0.02) and was a predictor of malignancy ratio (b=0.02; p=0.04).
Conclusion:
Approximately 40% of biopsied tumors were malignant. Dermatologists exhibit a wide range in their individual practice patterns. Increasing provider age predicted higher malignancy ratios with a 2% increase for each incremental year.
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