Skin Cancer: ABFM practice questions

7 board-style questions on skin cancer in the PulseMD family medicine question bank, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

A 56-year-old man with a history of significant sun exposure presents with a pigmented lesion on his upper back that his wife noticed has changed over 3 months. On examination, the lesion is 8 mm in diameter, asymmetric, with irregular borders, color variation (dark brown, black, and areas of red), and slightly raised on one side. What is the most appropriate next step?

1. Reassure and observe with photographs every 3 months
2. Perform a shave biopsy for histologic evaluation
3. Apply cryotherapy to destroy the lesion
4. Perform an excisional biopsy with 1-3 mm margins

Sample question 2

A 72-year-old farmer presents with a non-healing, indurated, keratotic plaque with a central ulcer on his lower lip that has been growing for 2 months. He has a history of multiple actinic keratoses. What is the most likely diagnosis and what is the primary concern?

1. Basal cell carcinoma; risk of local tissue destruction
2. Keratoacanthoma; will likely self-resolve
3. Squamous cell carcinoma; risk of metastasis given the high-risk location
4. Actinic keratosis; risk of progression to invasive cancer

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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