title: Skin tumors in childhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dermatologists, paediatricians, and general practitioners are often consulted by worried parents for the evaluation of a cutaneous tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Selective literature review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 1-2% of skin tumors excised in children turn out to be malignant when examined histologically. Warning signs of malignancy include rapid growth, firm consistency, diameter exceeding 3 cm, ulceration, a non-movable mass, and presence in the neonatal period. The more common malignant skin tumors in adults-basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma-are very rare in childhood. Congenital melanocytic nevi and sebaceous nevi bear a lower malignant potential than previously believed; nevertheless, their excision is often indicated. A Spitz nevus can mimic a melanoma both clinically and histologically. Some benign skin tumors of childhood tend to regress spontaneously within a few years but may cause complications at particular locations and when multiple. For infantile hemangiomas requiring systemic treatment because of imminent obstruction or ulceration, propranolol seems to have a far more favorable risk-benefit ratio than corticosteroids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians need specialized knowledge in order to decide whether a skin tumor in a child should be excised, non-surgically treated, or further evaluated, or whether it can be safely left untreated because of the likelihood of spontaneous remission.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie,Universitätsklinikum Würzburg. Hamm_H@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamm
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Höger
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*