Is this ever benign?

[lavender's green]

My husband has a mole on his upper chest, right about where his upper button or neck of a t-shirt sits, so it gets more sun exposure than the rest of his chest. Recently (not quite sure of the timeline), it's become significantly raised and crusty, and bleeds. He says the most recent bleeding is just from picking at it sometimes. But I don't think I've seen the thing fully healed in quite awhile. Google is turning up all sorts of stuff about skin cancer. I'm on his case to call a doctor first thing tomorrow, but in the meantime...is this ever benign? I can't figure it out from google and should probably just stop reading about all the scenarios anyway.

 

He's young (30 in a couple months), with fair skin and green eyes, has a ton of moles (some of which were removed because they were large and could be cancerous some day, but were not cancerous yet). He's been sunburned many times, by accident, although he's careful about sunscreen if he's going to spend a day in the sun. He's never used a tanning bed.

[Julie Smith]

Yes, sometimes.

 

But get it checked out. Right away.

[The Girls' Mom]

Get it checked, soon.  But yes it can turn out benign.  Dh had one that I was about 90% sure would be cancerous, but it wasn't. 

[Harriet Vane]

Yes, sometimes.

 

But get it checked out. Right away.

 

With something like this, I would not wait. When he is making the appointment, he should emphasize the bleeding and changed appearance, say the word "cancer," and insist on being seen right away.

 

I don't normally push like this and I don't want to strike fear into your heart, truly. And I pray it ends up being nothing.  :grouphug:

[kiana]

Don't wait in case it's not. But yes, sometimes. 

[EKS]

Yes, it could be benign--but if it isn't, the sooner he gets it checked, the more likely it is that it can be completely removed.

[redsquirrel]

I was just at the derm on Friday for my teenager.  He got a mole check. The derm told him that people always get worried about moles that become upraised etc, but he said the ones to worry about are flat and get bigger. Yes, get it checked out ASAP but know there is a very good chance they will remove, biopsy and everything will be ok.  It may be benign..it also may not.  But, even if not, there is a very, very good chance they can take care of it quickly and easily. Not all cancerous skin growths are equally dangerous.

[gardenmom5]

my son's was sent out for biopsy - it was benign.  he has stereotypical red-haired skin, lots of moles, and has had lots of burns (because booys dont' see why they need to use sunscreen.), he was even born with a nevus.

[Guest]

Yes.

[umsami]

It can be benign, but it can also go the other way.

 

Get it checked out this week.  Call a dermatologist, preferably one who sees a lot of skin cancer.  Tell them the signs, your husband's coloring, everything.  Looking for somebody who has Mohs certification is one way to check that.  (It's a technique for removing cancerous moles.)

http://www.mohscollege.org/surgeon-finder/disclaimer.php

 

 

ETA: Any dermatologist is fine if you can't fine a Mohs certified one, but if you can find a Mohs...you know that s/he's seeing a lot of skin cancer.

 

Edited January 23, 2017 by umsami

[SebastianCat]

Raised and crusty is definitely cause to get it checked, but doesn't necessarily mean cancer.   I wouldn't panic, but wouldn't ignore it either.

 

My DH recently had his first melanoma diagnosis, along with several basal cell carcinomas.   He is 57 and has lived in Florida almost his entire life, with a lot of sun exposure.   For my DH, treatment for the basal cell carcinomas was nothing more than a deep scraping of the initial biopsy sites.   The melanoma was staged and they did a surgical excision, with clear margins and no further treatment other than follow up every 3 months with the dermatologist.   (I mentioned "first" melanoma diagnosis, because now that he's had one, he will almost definitely have more, but as long as they are caught early, there really isn't reason to worry.   It's more of an annoyance than anything.)

[Barb_]

Yes, it can be benign. It's in a very convenient place to scratch at it in his sleep. It could be that he subconsciously worries that it's cancer, which causes him to claw at it when he's sleeping. My daughter has a huge (eraser sized)scalp mole that sometimes bleeds. The dermatologist said the bleeding was definitely caused by abrasion and that it was benign. But I agree to get it checked :) Good luck.

[fairfarmhand]

Go to the dr. But I had one like that and it was nothing. So take heart!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Anne in CA]

I had a mole from the time I was very small (at least four) that one day popped off bleeding and I had it checked that day. I was freaked out, and nothing was wrong. 

[ktgrok]

Mine like that was basal cell carcinoma...but it was removed and no further issues. It would bleed, then not, then bleed, then not. But yes, get it biopsied ASAP. Insist on a biopsy. Another spot I had, the dermatologists kept blowing me off, and years later I finally got one to biopsy it and it was also cancerous. Thank heavens it hadn't grown hugely, but it had grown and was a PIA to remove. Now I insist they biopsy anything unusual for me. 

[umsami]

Get it checked. Dh had a similar one, that he ignored for ages. He now has Stage IV melanoma and his prognosis is not good. Please nag him into getting it checked. 

 

So sorry to hear that, Margaret.  Will be keeping you, your husband, and your family in my prayers.

[lavender's green]

Get it checked. Dh had a similar one, that he ignored for ages. He now has Stage IV melanoma and his prognosis is not good. Please nag him into getting it checked. 

 

 

:grouphug:  I'm so sorry. We'll get on this right away. :grouphug:

[lavender's green]

Thanks for sharing your encouragement, wisdom, and experience, everyone. This is so much better than google. We'll get it checked out ASAP. Hopefully it's all clear. I'll eventually report back.

 

 

[Barb_]

Thank you. It has metastasized to his lungs.

:grouphug: I had no idea.

[JFSinIL]

I have had three removed, the last one because it had started itching at times, and easily bled.  So far none have come back from lab anything except benign. My neighbor has had each one come back not benign (but fully removed before spreading).  You just never know. Might as well add, I thought Mohs was the name of the doctor who founded Mohs Dermatology here, where I go. Now I know different. Learn something new everyday on WTM boards!

Edited January 23, 2017 by JFSinIL

[eternalsummer]

My DH is like yours except his hair hasn't been blond since he was a child; he had the same symptoms, had the mole removed, and it was benign.  They did want to remove and biopsy it just as soon as he told them his symptoms, though.

[Tap]

I have had a dozen+ moles removed.  There were none that I was worried about until this last year.  It was on the hollow in my neck.  Red, flat, itchy and bled if it was rubbed. It felt different (on the inside) and kind of hurt/tingled.  I talked to my derm about it and he offered to remove it, thinking it was a spot of actinic keratosis.  I asked for a punch biopsy instead, so I could know what I was removing before we just shaved it off. About half of my moles that I have had removed, have returned. Most were for cosmetic reasons (thick raised moles) but all were sent off as a biopsy anyways.  I don't scar well and I didn't want to have it removed and have it come back, and then have more scars in the long run. He was surprised, but it was Basal Cell Carcinoma.  I had MOHS done in November, so I know for certain it is gone.  2 different derms saw it before it was removed and weren't concerned. They said to get it removed in the next 6 months, but I didn't wan't an even larger scar (if it grew) so I had it removed as soon as my preferred doctor could get me in. 

 

If it didn't seem so different to me, and didn't have the odd tingling feeling, I would have kept putting it off too. There was just something wrong with this one and my mind wouldn't let it go.  I have another on on my stomach that has the same feeling.  I am going to have it removed soon.   I am not as concerned about the scarring so I may not do MOHS and just ask the doctor to be fairly aggressive in the removal for the biopsy.  

Edited January 23, 2017 by Tap

[Jaybee]

I have had a dozen+ moles removed.  There were none that I was worried about until this last year.  It was on the hollow in my neck.  Red, flat, itchy and bled if it was rubbed. It felt different (on the inside) and kind of hurt/tingled.  I talked to my derm about it and he offered to remove it, thinking it was a spot of actinic keratosis.  I asked for a punch biopsy instead, so I could know what I was removing before we just shaved it off. About half of my moles that I have had removed, have returned. Most were for cosmetic reasons (thick raised moles) but all were sent off as a biopsy anyways.  I don't scar well and I didn't want to have it removed and have it come back, and then have more scars in the long run. He was surprised, but it was Basal Cell Carcinoma.  I had MOHS done in November, so I know for certain it is gone.  2 different derms saw it before it was removed and weren't concerned. They said to get it removed in the next 6 months, but I didn't wan't an even larger scar (if it grew) so I had it removed as soon as my preferred doctor could get me in. 

 

If it didn't seem so different to me, and didn't have the odd tingling feeling, I would have kept putting it off too. There was just something wrong with this one and my mind wouldn't let it go.  I have another on on my stomach that has the same feeling.  I am going to have it removed soon.   I am not as concerned about the scarring so I may not do MOHS and just ask the doctor to be fairly aggressive in the removal for the biopsy.  

 

Tap, this is very interesting to me because of my situation. I had a place along my chin line, didn't really even look like a mole. It would itch a little, the skin would flake off, etc. It bothered me--had that kind of tingling feeling with it--and though my gp didn't think it was concerning, he froze it off. Was fine for awhile. After a year or so, it came back. I went to a dermatologist. He didn't seem concerned, but agreed to remove it. He asked if I wanted it biopsied, and I said yes. It was a punch removal, and when he got in there, he said, "Oh, there is a blood vessel going to it. It would need to be biopsied anyway." Turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma. Fast forward 2-3 years, and I am now in a different location. On the outside, I cannot see or feel anything unusual at that site. But the tingling has been bothering me the past several weeks. I can't decide what to do. We are on a tight budget, and I don't want to pay for a trip to the dermatologist for him to wonder why I am there--how silly--there is obviously nothing there! But...that tingling... I haven't known what to call it--I told my husband the other day that it's weird--I can feel it. I'm taking my son to the derm. tomorrow. I wonder if I can ask a question for free, as in, "Should I make an appointment or not?" And "Is there anything you would do on the basis of a feeling on the inside of my skin?"

Edited January 23, 2017 by Jaybee

[TranquilMind]

My husband has a mole on his upper chest, right about where his upper button or neck of a t-shirt sits, so it gets more sun exposure than the rest of his chest. Recently (not quite sure of the timeline), it's become significantly raised and crusty, and bleeds. He says the most recent bleeding is just from picking at it sometimes. But I don't think I've seen the thing fully healed in quite awhile. Google is turning up all sorts of stuff about skin cancer. I'm on his case to call a doctor first thing tomorrow, but in the meantime...is this ever benign? I can't figure it out from google and should probably just stop reading about all the scenarios anyway.

 

He's young (30 in a couple months), with fair skin and green eyes, has a ton of moles (some of which were removed because they were large and could be cancerous some day, but were not cancerous yet). He's been sunburned many times, by accident, although he's careful about sunscreen if he's going to spend a day in the sun. He's never used a tanning bed.

Yes, it can be benign. 

 

I hope it is and I would get it taken off ASAP by a dermatologist. 

[scrapbookbuzz]

Thank you. It has metastasized to his lungs. 

UGH. That's pretty much what happened to my father-in-law. SO sorry for your hardships in this.

I will pray for all of you!

 

OP, it may or may not be something, but as you can see, the consensus here is DO NOT IGNORE IT.

[JennyD]

I am so very sorry to hear about your DH's health, Margaret.  

 

OP, I agree with everyone else that yes, it can be benign, but get it checked out ASAP.  I had a bleeding, super-itchy mole on my upper back almost 20 years ago, when I was 25.  Like your husband, I am very fair and have never used a tanning bed.  To the shock and horror of my then-GP, who thought it was a big nothing but referred me to a derm 'just in case,' it did indeed turn out to the melanoma.  I had surgery to remove the area around it and the melanoma specialist I see now tells me that I am back to the same risk as everyone else.  

 

On the upside, because I have tried to stay out of the sun as much as possible for the last two decades, not to mention religiously used sunblock, my skin is looking pretty good for almost-45.  

 

As others have said, the magic words when you call the doctor (and I would not leave this up to your DH), are "crusty, bleeding, and not healing."

Edited January 24, 2017 by JennyD

[ktgrok]

Yeah, it's just impossible to know without a biopsy. Both my basal cell carcinomas didn't LOOK like basal cells. They looked like benign growths. Two terms ignored them, the third said "it's probably this other thing, but just to be sure we'll biopsy it." Yeah, both were cancer. 

[lavender's green]

He was able to get it removed today. It wasn't ideal and he had to jump through some hoops, but much better than waiting for weeks, which was the alternative. We're just glad it's gone. It's been sent off for testing, so eventually we'll learn what it was!

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences, everyone. I can think of three cases of skin cancer in my circles and they were all intense, complicated, and scary, so that really colored how I was seeing things over the weekend.

[ktgrok]

Oh, I'm glad he got it taken care of! 

 

And most skin cancer isn't the horrible scary stuff. But you don't know, so it's good he got it taken care of. Hugs!

[umsami]

OP your post reminded me that I've been prolonging my annual derm check.  I've had 27 or so dysplastic nevi removed so far.  I'm very fair, blue eyes, and got sunburned a lot as a kid.  So today I called, and I'll be going in next week, so thanks.

 

Glad you were able to get in so soon and get it removed and sent to pathology.  Hoping for good results, too.

[Melissa in Australia]

Thank you. It has metastasized to his lungs. 

:crying:  :crying:  :crying:

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Melissa in Australia]

I have had 4 moles removed over the years. each one had something wrong with it. I don't remember what exactly but they  needed to be removed and none of them were cancer. One bled a lot, one was growing very very rapidly one had some sort of funny growth thing happening under it, and one was spreading slowly just under the skin right next to my eye. Here GPs are well trained on skin cancer identification. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer/melonoma in the world

 

http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/types-of-cancer/skin-cancer.html

 

Skin cancer symptoms

The sooner a skin cancer is identified and treated, the better your chance of avoiding surgery or, in the case of a serious melanoma or other skin cancer, potential disfigurement or even death.

It is also a good idea to talk to your doctor about your level of risk and for advice on early detection.

Become familiar with the look of your skin, so you pick up any changes that might suggest a skin cancer. Look for:

• any crusty, non-healing sores
• small lumps that are red, pale or pearly in colour
• new spots, freckles or any moles changing in colour, thickness or shape over a period of weeks to months (especially those dark brown to black, red or blue-black in colour).

[Tap]

Tap, this is very interesting to me because of my situation. I had a place along my chin line, didn't really even look like a mole. It would itch a little, the skin would flake off, etc. It bothered me--had that kind of tingling feeling with it--and though my gp didn't think it was concerning, he froze it off. Was fine for awhile. After a year or so, it came back. I went to a dermatologist. He didn't seem concerned, but agreed to remove it. He asked if I wanted it biopsied, and I said yes. It was a punch removal, and when he got in there, he said, "Oh, there is a blood vessel going to it. It would need to be biopsied anyway." Turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma. Fast forward 2-3 years, and I am now in a different location. On the outside, I cannot see or feel anything unusual at that site. But the tingling has been bothering me the past several weeks. I can't decide what to do. We are on a tight budget, and I don't want to pay for a trip to the dermatologist for him to wonder why I am there--how silly--there is obviously nothing there! But...that tingling... I haven't known what to call it--I told my husband the other day that it's weird--I can feel it. I'm taking my son to the derm. tomorrow. I wonder if I can ask a question for free, as in, "Should I make an appointment or not?" And "Is there anything you would do on the basis of a feeling on the inside of my skin?"

I would definitely ask your son's derm.  I actually ended up doing the same thing. I had an appointment with my derm scheduled for about a month out to look at it (she is a very busy dr).  I was at an appointment with my daughter at her derm and asked his opinion.  I just asked if he thought it was okay to wait for the month to get into my regular derm, or if I should look for someone who could get me in sooner.  He happened to have a long lunch scheduled, so he said he would just work me in and biopsy it for me then and there. I had the results and removal scheduled before my first doctor could have even seen me LOL .

[Jaybee]

Thanks, Tap. I will at least ask if he has Mohs certification.

 

(Didn't mean to hijack, but I do appreciate the venue for asking questions.)

[Guest]

He was able to get it removed today. It wasn't ideal and he had to jump through some hoops, but much better than waiting for weeks, which was the alternative. We're just glad it's gone. It's been sent off for testing, so eventually we'll learn what it was!

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences, everyone. I can think of three cases of skin cancer in my circles and they were all intense, complicated, and scary, so that really colored how I was seeing things over the weekend.

 

I had a thing removed from my nose...same symptoms, and it wasn't benign.  But I had it Mohs-removed and then 2 plastic surgeries to repair the divot and all has been well for 5 years.  My parents have had a lot of moles and so on removed in their day...they are all cancer but they are all gone when they come out of the doctor's office.  So that's kind of what I expected in my situation.  

 

However, I have known 2 cases of very young people who were not so lucky, so I am very glad you went in and got it checked out. It's funny how we got right to the scariest alternative OR stay in complete denial.  I favor the second as my flawed approach...

[TravelingChris]

I am so sorry, Margeret, about your husband,