Does This Patient Have a Mole or a Melanoma?

Lifetime risk for malignant melanoma has increased from 1 in 1500 in the United States in 1930 to 1 in 75 projected for the year 2000. Because the tumor's thickness at excision is the primary prognostic determinant, early detection through the history and physical examination can play an important role in the patient's clinical course. Two checklists have been developed as diagnostic aids, the ABCD (A indicates asymmetry; B, border irregularity;...