1/2. Congenital Spitz nevus clinically mimicking melanoma.The differentiation between atypical variants of Spitz nevus and melanoma is often difficult given the many clinical and histopathologic similarities between the two. We report a case of an infant with a congenital scalp lesion exhibiting clinical features of melanoma, including variegation and regression of pigmentation and a rapidly changing appearance. Histologic examination of the excised lesion revealed a benign congenital Spitz nevus. This case emphasizes the need for clinical and histologic correlation in determining the benign or malignant nature of atypical pigmented lesions in infants.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nature (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/2. A variant of junctional naevus of epithelioid and spindle cell type rich in melanophages.We describe a form of junctional melanocytic neoplasm with a massive production of melanin accumulated in the dermis. The pigment is stored in macrophages, which are by far the most numerous cellular component of the lesion. Another peculiar aspect is the occasional presence of a few melanocytes scattered in a pagetoid pattern above the dermo-epidermal junction in the spinous layer. The histological picture of this lesion is similar to a form of "tumoral melanosis" induced by a regressed malignant melanoma. The lesion had a worrisome clinical picture, its dark colour constituting a clinico-pathological diagnostic problem. The main clinical clues to the benign nature of this entity are the small lateral diameter, the uniform distribution of the pigment and the stability of the lesion over time; moreover, the patients are alive and well after a considerable length of time. Although a regressed dysplastic or malignant lesion cannot be totally excluded from a scientific point of view, we conclude that there is no sound morphological or clinical evidence that the lesion is other than biologically benign. The lesion is most likely another peculiar variant of epithelioid and spindle cell naevus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nature (Clic here for more details about this article) |