title: Punch biopsy of melanoma causing tumour cell implantation: another peril of utilising partial biopsies for melanocytic tumours.
abstract: The recommended initial management for suspected melanoma is excisional biopsy. The use of partial biopsies of melanocytic tumours poses potential problems including misdiagnosis due to either unrepresentative sampling or the difficulty in evaluating important diagnostic features; an inaccurate assessment of Breslow thickness and other important prognostic features; and the induction of changes capable of mimicking melanoma (i.e., pseudomelanoma). Misdiagnosis, in turn, may lead to inappropriate management of the patient and an adverse outcome. In this report we document a previously unrecognised pitfall of partial biopsies of melanocytic tumours: implantation of tumour cells at the biopsy site potentially leading to the overestimation of tumour thickness or a misdiagnosis of the presence of microsatellites in the subsequent wide excision specimen.
authors.affiliation: Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Melanoma Institute Australia, Poche Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Luk
authors.affiliation: Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Melanoma Institute Australia, Poche Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vilain
authors.affiliation: Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Oana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Crainic
authors.affiliation: Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Melanoma Institute Australia, Poche Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Stanley W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Department of Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Melanoma Institute Australia, Poche Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Melanoma Institute Australia, Poche Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Scolyer
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009366:Neoplasm Seeding; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D047368:Tumor Burden
keywords: complication; diagnosis; melanoma; misdiagnosis; naevus; pathology; treatment