Question:
The question that we have is since this is warty-looking, could
it be a wart that started growing from a mole or could it have
always been a smoother wart that has now begun to grow and
explode because of irritation?
Or could it be a mole that has always been a melanoma or a mole
that is now becoming a melanoma? And if so, do melanomas usually
grow this quickly in the sense of the changes they go through
(i.e. the mole being there for a long time but major changes like
this occuring so quickly in the last 3-4 weeks?
There does not seem to be an indentation on the top of it. In a
sense, it sort of looks like it could be a basil cell carcinoma,
however, it's not smooth any more on the surface--it's more warty
and rough and there's no one clear dimple in the middle. Rather,
there doesn't seem to be any real concave in the top or middle of
it.
If it is a melanoma, do days matter? In other words, it may take
5 days to get a proper biopsy vs cutting it out himself in an
improper way now and sending it for analysis. He has the
necessary scalpel and Formalin preservative.
Could irritation from massaging have created some type of
melanoma change in it?
Answer:
I might not be the right person to say this, but I had two years of
medical training, and I'm now a graduate student in molecular biology.
It looks like your friend might have a melanoma on his neck. I would
NOT suggest that he takes care of this himself since there is a
possibility of doing more damage.
I don't understand one thing, however. How come that he can have a
biopsy, and there is no dermatologist or family practice doctor, or like,
that can examine him?
I'll just tell you one thing: when in doubt, think of the worst.
Believing that "it is nothing" will not help. Rush to the nearest medical
facility as soon as possible, even if that means traveling for 5 days.
