Remaining Mole After Punch Biopsy - Can It Turn Cancerous?

Your lesion is a benign intradermal nevus or mole. The likelihood of the remaining nevus cells becoming malignant is exceptionally small, but as with anything else in life, there are never any guarantees. The best option is to watch the area... as well as the rest of your body... for anything suspicious. Basically, a changing mole,  whether it was biopsied before or not, should be evaluated by your dermatologist. And get into the habit of a monthly skin self examination, where you're looking not just for changing moles but any of the ABCDs of melanoma. You can go to my website to see the ABCDs or go to the American Academy of Dermatology website.

As a representative area of the mole was obtained with a shave biopsy and determined to be a benign intradermal nevus, watch the remaining portion of this mole as you would observe any mole for signs of change.  If this mole begins to grow, change color, bleed or any other changes occur from its baseline, return to your board certified dermatologist for re-evaluation.  If another physician removes the remaining portions of this mole, inform them that it has been previously biopsied so the dermatopathologist can be alerted that the mole is a "recurrent nevus" as the previous biopsy can affect the subsequent histology.

The dermatopathology results as you have listed them indicate you have a very benign (typical) mole.  Of all mole types, intradermal nevi are usually the least likely to evolve into a melanoma.  As all of the mole cells are not removed, it is possible the area will repigment.  I would watch the mole, if it changes or "evolves," have it re-biopsied and make sure your dermatologist indicates to the reading dermatopathologist that this mole has been previously biopsied in the pasty--as often these moles look "strange or concerning" otherwise.  Typically, insurance must cover any new or changing mole.