A 57-year-old man presents to his primary care physician with concerns about a dark 
lesion on his upper right arm. He reports that he has always had many freckles, including 
this one, but thinks there have been changes in size. He denies pain, fever, rash, and 
shortness of breath. 
The biopsy shows atypical cells present in the basal layer of the epidermis and invading the 
dermis in sheets and nests. The cells have irregular nuclei and prominent nucleoli. The 
cells are immunoreactive for Mart-1, confirming they are melanocytes.
1. Develop a 1- to 2-page case study analysis, examining the patient signs and 
symptoms presented in the case study; discussing the primary cellular 
pathophysiological processes, and the significance for symptom development and 
diagnosis.
2. What role do genetic mutations play in the development of the disease?
3. What is the impact of the disease on the immune system? How do treatment
strategies target the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease?