Which case is more suspicious for malignant melanoma, and which case should the nurse prioritize for further assessment?
Explanation & Rationale
A. The lesion is asymmetrical with irregular borders and the patient reports recent changes in size plus itching and bleeding - evolution (change) and those ABC features raise concern even though diameter is small. Prioritize further dermatologic assessment/biopsy. B. Symmetrical, smooth borders, uniform color, 4 mm, no change - findings suggest low immediate concern; routine monitoring is appropriate. C. Symmetrical, smooth borders, uniform color, 6 mm, no change - size approaches the >6 mm guideline but lack of evolution/other suspicious features lowers immediate priority compared with A. D. Symmetrical and uniform but occasional itching - isolated itch without evolution or ABCDE changes is less suspicious than the evolving, irregular lesion in A.