PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Alyson Snyder
AU  - Sara E. West
AU  - Christopher M. Miles
AU  - Steven R. Feldman
TI  - Obtaining an Adequate Specimen for the Diagnosis of Pigmented Lesions
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2015.04.150043
DP  - 2015 Jul 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
PG  - 523--525
VI  - 28
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/28/4/523.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/28/4/523.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med2015 Jul 01; 28
AB  - Melanoma is a common, potentially deadly disease but is curable if caught early. A specimen of a pigmented lesion must capture the entire width and depth of the lesion to evaluate the lesion's size, symmetry, and circumscription. Saucerization shaving, punching, and excision biopsy are 3 techniques that can be used to achieve a satisfactory specimen. Physicians should have a low threshold to biopsy a suspicious atypical pigmented lesion, but acceptable specimens are key in following through with an accurate diagnosis.