Abnormal melanosomes: ultrastructural markers of melanocytic atypia.
To identify possible ultrastructural markers of melanocytic atypia, a quantitative ultrastructural study was made of melanocytes found at the dermal-epidermal boundary of normal skin and in benign, premalignant, and malignant melanocytic lesions. There was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the number of melanosomes per melanocyte in the premalignant and malignant lesions compared with the number observed in the benign lesions. There was a significantly higher number (p < 0.05) of abnormal melanosomes (with irregularities in the laminar matrix or with a granular or clumpy matrix) in the premalignant and malignant lesions, which suggests that the presence of a high percentage of abnormal melanosomes might act as a useful ultrastructural marker in the diagnosis of melanocytic atypia.
Vicente Ortega
V
V
Department of Pathology, University of Murcia, Spain.
Martínez Díaz
F
F
Carrascosa Romero
C
C
Ortuño Pacheco
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004416:Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018327:Hutchinson's Melanotic Freckle / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007620:Karyometry; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009506:Nevus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000648:ultrastructure*