3B J15 Mode D'emploi page 2

Malignant Melanoma
Malignant melanoma is a very malignant degeneration of the pigment producing cells of the skin. It
spreads into the organism through the blood and lymph at a very early stage. Therefore, early diagnosis
is crucial.
This model is designed to draw the attention to this disease and to provide relevant basic information.
Two aspects are emphasized in the representation:
1. The "ABCDE rule" for an early diagnosis of suspicious skin discoloration that might be malignant,
based on visual characteristics:
A= Asymmetry: irregular shape.
B= Border: uneven edge and surface, with spreading branches
C= Color: color variations within the degenerated skin area (light, dark, speckled).
D= Diameter: area of degenerated skin larger than 5mm.
E= Enlargement, perhaps also elevation: e.g. in height and width.
However, the decision is made by the doctor!
2. The classification of existing melanomas according to depth of invasion (Clark levels I – V) and tumor
thickness (Breslow thickness, in millimeters).
Model, enlarged approx. 8 times:
The model is divided into six zones: from the left to the right, first the front and then the back.
In the top view (skin surface), these zones show the progressive stages of a melanoma in which the
"ABCDE" criteria are shown at increasing levels from the left to the right.
The vertical surface shows a sectional view of the increasing invasion into the various skin layers at the
individual stages.
The left, narrow side of the model shows Clark's levels of invasion. For an assessment of Breslow's thick-
ness, the depth of the skin layers is represented by graduated millimeter marks on the right side of the
model.
The illustrations on the base show various types of malignant melanomas.
Zone Breslow, Clark Depth of invasion of the black cells
depth in mm level on the vertical front of the model
1 healthy healthy
2 epithelium I Black cells at the surface of the epidermis
3 II Black cells fill the epidermis, a few in the papillary layer
≤0.75
4 >0.75 ≤1.5 III Black cells fill the papillary layer
5 >1.5 ≤4 IV Black cells invade the reticular layer
6 >4 V Black cells invade the subcutaneous fatty tissue,
satellite cells approach a vein
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English
English
Structures (Latin / English), please refer to pages 8-9:
7 Epidermis / Epidermis
8 Stratum basale / Basal layer of epidermis
9 Dermis / Derma comprising:
10 Tela subcutanea / Subcutaneous tissue
11 Folliculus pili / Hair follicle
12 Plexus subpapillaris / Subpapillary plexus
13 Glandula sebacea / Sebaceous gland
14 M. arector pili / Arrector muscle of hair
15 Bulbus pili / Hair bulb
16 Arteriola / Arteriole
17 Venula / Venula
18 Corpusculum lamellosum (Golgi-Mazzoni) / Golgi-Mazzoni corpuscles
19 Corpusculum bulboideum (Ruffini) / Brushes of Ruffini
20 Corpusculum lamellosum (Vater-Paccini) / Vater-Paccini corpuscle
21 Meissner tactile corpuscle
Malignant Melanoma
a. Stratum papillare / Papillary layer of dermis
b. Stratum reticulare / Reticular layer of dermis
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