No risk if malignancy potential ruled out during mole removal

Peter Malouf, MD answers: Cancer after superficial mole removal?

I had a non-cancerous mole removed by laser. The mole was quite deep so not all of the mole was removed. What happens if the little bit of mole left under the surface of the skin becomes cancerous after some years? Is it possible for  the cancer to go unnoticed? Will scar tissue from the laser removal some years earlier hide the cancer to me or the dermatologist?


Peter Malouf, DO
9 months ago
By Peter Malouf, DO - Fort Worth Dermatologist

This is a fantastic question. Unless you saw a dermatologist who was certain there was no malignant potential in this "mole" you had treated, you do stand to risk potential masking of a malignancy forming in the remaining cells. This is likely a low probability, but this is why dermatologists hardly every use a laser to remove melanocytic lesions, without first doing a biopsy.

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