Educational Case: Malignant Melanoma

Abstract

The following fictional case is intended as a learning tool within the Pathology Competencies for Medical Education (PCME), a set of national standards for teaching pathology. These are divided into three basic competencies: Disease Mechanisms and Processes, Organ System Pathology, and Diagnostic Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology. For additional information, and a full list of learning objectives for all three competencies, see http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2374289517715040 .1

"Plastic Restoration of a Facial Defect After Surgical Removal of a Large Malignant Melanoma"

“…Other important prognostic feature of melanoma is the Breslow depth, the depth of invasion of the malignant melanocytes as measured from the top of the granular layer within the epidermis to the base of the tumour, or if the lesion is ulcerated, from the base of the ulcer to the deepest malignant melanocyte 14 . The management of melanomas varies depending on the stage of the lesion.…”

“…The management of melanomas varies depending on the stage of the lesion. The reason for a uniform remove of additional cells from the areas around the primary lesion is to remove all malignant cells and prevent local recurrence of the disease 14 .…”