Disorders of Skin Integrity and Function

Leonard works in the agriculture industry and raises beef cattle. At 60 years of age, he has spent most of his life working outdoors harvesting hay and tending to his herds. His wife was the first to notice a change in his skin. One day, after taking off his shirt, she noticed a significant change in the mole he had on his right shoulder. It not only was darker but was moist and appeared to have been bleeding at one point. Surrounding the mole, his skin was red. His wife remembered hearing stories of Leonard working on his father’s farm, spending long hours out in the hot sun even though his father had gone into the barn to work during the hottest part of the day. She insisted him go to the family physician to have it examined.

Leonard’s physician performed a biopsy on the lesion and told Leonard he suspected the growth may be malignant melanoma. What cells are affected in this form of skin cancer? How might his childhood exposures to the sun predispose him to this form of cancer?
How do UVA and UVB rays contribute to the process of oncogenesis in skin cells?
The mole on Leonard’s shoulder was a nevocellular nevus. What are the cellular composition and appearance of this type of mole before it underwent malignant change?
To view the Grading Rubric for this Assignment, please visit the Grading Rubrics section of the Course Home.