How would you treat this growing tumor to the left elbow?
This is a case study where a patient presented to the clinic complaining of a “growth” to his left elbow. He stated that it had been there for at least a year and had noticeably grown.
He denied any pain, drainage, pruritus, or any other symptoms.
What would be your differentials and how would you proceed to treat?
- Excision
- Punch biopsy
- Shave biopsy
- Defer to collaborating dermatologist/Mohs surgeon
- Defer to outside specialist
- Other
As dermatology NPs/PAs, it is important for us to be advocates for our patients and choose the best treatment option in order to obtain an accurate diagnosis.
However, removing a tumor surgically this size can be quite intimidating and, let alone, not be in some of our comfort zones. How we treat, procedurally, is largely based on the training and experience we receive at our practice.
That's why it's important to have a trusting mentor and collaborating physician to help when confronted with challenging cases.
My hope is that sharing case studies like this will help build your knowledge and confidence on how to better approach your patient next time you encounter a case study like this!
Know your comfort zone.
Don't hesitate to collaborate with your team to get the best answers for your patient.
I am looking forward to seeing what differentials and treatment options you choose. All you have to do is reply to this post.
Next week, I'll share with you how I ended up approaching this interesting case study in a follow up post!
Let me just say…the result was not what I expected...and a rare find 😳 !
ALL my best,
Theresa Talens, DNP, FNP-C (TheresaSurgDermNP) ❤️
Check out our website: P.U.L.S.E. Dermatology & Procedures
