ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy increases the sensitivity of the diagnosis of melanoma, leading to its early identification and increasing the chances of cure. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and dermoscopic characteristics of superficial spreading melanomas, and to detect the differences between in situ and invasive 1-mm thick melanomas. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which dermoscopic images of 58 melanomas, grouped according to their thickness, were evaluated. RESULTS: 24 in situ melanomas were evaluated, 28 invasive melanomas with Breslow ≤ 1â¯mm (0.50⯱â¯0.22â¯mm) and six with Breslow > 1â¯mm (2.35⯱â¯2.02â¯mm). In situ melanomas were smaller than invasive melanomas. The most commonly found dermoscopic criteria were asymmetry (84.5%), three or more colors (81.0%), and atypical network (79.3%). A non-specific pattern was more common in in situ melanomas (pâ¯=â¯0.028) and atypical network in invasive melanomas with Breslow 1â¯mm presented inverted network (pâ¯=â¯0.018). STUDY LIMITATIONS: The sample was selected by convenience, since it was necessary to have a preoperative photo of the tumor, which may have led to the loss of clinically less significant lesions, as well as those highly suggestive of melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: Melanomas in early stages showed a more frequent nonspecific pattern and atypical network, while invasive melanomas showed a multicomponent pattern, three or more colors, and an inverted network.