Dermatologic surgery : official publication for American Society for Dermatologic Surgery [et al.]
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The mnemonic ABCD, which stands for asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation, and diameter greater than 6 mm alerts physicians to features that suggest melanoma. Although the ABCD criteria are guidelines for diagnosis, clinicians may overlook many melanomas that do not follow the ABCD rule. ⋯ We demonstrated that a significant proportion of melanomas may be smaller than 6 mm. The ABCD criteria are not absolute; melanomas have many different appearances and start as small lesions.