title: Spindle and/or epithelioid cells nevi in pediatric age: are they different from those of adults? A clinical review of 187 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Spindle and/or epithelioid cells nevi represent the spectrum of a clinico-pathologic entity with different characteristics. Aim of the study is to provide information about the differences in characteristics of these nevi for different groups of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two different groups are considered: younger than 15 years and older than 15 years. An analysis of 187 spindle and/or epithelioid cells nevi was performed. Forty-five pediatric patients (24 males and 21 females) and 142 adult patients (44 males and 98 females) were examined. Age, sex, type of nevus, location, clinical characteristics were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Spindle and epithelioid cells nevi were observed in 53% of the pediatric and in 45% of adult patients. Female more frequently presented with spindle nevus cell both in pediatric (56%) and in adult (70%) cases. In pediatric patients, the anatomical distribution was prevalent in the areas of the head and neck. Pigmentation was not a distinctive feature of pediatric cases and only interested the spindle and epithelioid cells nevi. The regularity of borders was not a distinctive character for neither of the groups of patients. Uniformity in color occurred more frequently in pediatric patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spindle and/or epithelioid nevi belong to the same spectrum of pathologies, they behave differently in the different groups of age thus permitting a certain degree of clinical distinction in different age groups.
authors.affiliation: Dermatological Clinic, San Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. berbet@alice.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Betti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crosti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moneghini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghiozzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crespi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Radaelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menni
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000473:pathology; D018332:Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D013909:Thorax / Q000473:pathology