A 57-year-old man presents to his primary care physician with concerns about a dark
lesion on his upper right arm. He reports that he has always had many freckles, including
this one, but thinks there have been changes in size. He denies pain, fever, rash, and
shortness of breath.
The biopsy shows atypical cells present in the basal layer of the epidermis and invading the
dermis in sheets and nests. The cells have irregular nuclei and prominent nucleoli. The
cells are immunoreactive for Mart-1, confirming they are melanocytes.
1. Develop a 1- to 2-page case study analysis, examining the patient signs and
symptoms presented in the case study; discussing the primary cellular
pathophysiological processes, and the significance for symptom development and
diagnosis.
2. What role do genetic mutations play in the development of the disease?
3. What is the impact of the disease on the immune system? How do treatment
strategies target the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease?
