WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- Nevi displaying a specific high-risk pattern on dermoscopy appear to indicate a several-fold greater melanoma risk than is conferred by the presence of clinical dysplastic nevi, Dr. Allan C. Halpern said at the annual Hawaii dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation.

This finding from a recent pilot study that he characterized as "very small, preliminary, but thought provoking" suggests dermoscopy may enable physicians to do a significantly better job of identifying patients at high risk of developing melanoma, said Dr. Halpern, chief of the dermatology service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and cochairman ...