The differential diagnosis of melanoma refers to the set of conditions that may have similar signs and symptoms to melanoma, and therefore must be considered when trying to establish a definitive diagnosis.
Here are some of the main conditions that may require a differential diagnosis in the case of melanoma:
| Illness | Clinical Aspects |
|---|---|
| Pigmented seborrheic keratosis | It is a melanoma imitator, differential diagnosis is not easy, dermoscopy helps. |
| Traumatized nevus | The nevus returns to its normal appearance after about 10 days |
| Pigmented basal cell carcinoma | Presence of surface telangiectasia and specific dermoscopic aspects |
| Lentigo | Prevails in sun-exposed areas, it is symmetrical |
| Blue nevus | A blue-colored nevus due to the deep localization of melanocytes, it does not change over time, its degeneration into melanoma is rare |
| Angiokeratoma | Distinguishing it from melanoma is not easy, they are vascular tumors. Dermoscopy is decisive for a correct diagnosis |
| Traumatic hematoma | It can mimic melanoma, but it has an immediate onset and disappears in 10 days |
| Venous lake | It is found on the lips and sometimes in the earlobes, it partially disappears with finger pressure |
| Hemangioma | It does not change over time and often disappears with finger pressure |
| Dermatofibroma | It often appears after a folliculitis, it does not change over time and has distinctive characteristics on dermoscopy |
| Pigmented actinic keratosis | Affects the exposed regions and does not present the typical dermoscopy of melanoma |