title: Slow-growing melanoma: Report of five cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiologic data on melanoma reveal a considerable increase in incidence, especially of the early forms (melanoma in situ and early invasive melanoma), but the mortality rates are relatively stable. These data suggest the hypothesis of the existence of a melanoma with less aggressive biological behaviour. This hypothesis is, however, hard to be proven if the assumption is true that more and less aggressive melanomas very often exhibit overlapping clinical and histopathologic features. Digital dermoscopic imaging techniques permit today a detailed documentation of lesions over time and, therefore, represent an optimal tool to disclose the natural evolution of a given lesion. We present five case of slow-growing melanomas observed during a long-term period of follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five pigmented skin lesions from five patients with multiple atypical melanocytic nevi were examined at the baseline consultation and digital pictures were taken for monitoring purposes. The lesions have been followed-up for a long time because of the absence of significant changes over time. After a variable period of follow-up (1 to 10 years) all lesions were finally removed and subsequent histopathologic examination revealed early stage melanoma in all cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dermoscopy and digital follow up might be the key factors to improve the knowledge about the natural evolution of nevi and melanoma and the spectrum of undefined melanocytic proliferations.
authors: Department of Dermatology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Roma
authors: Imma
authors: I
authors: Savarese
authors: Antonia
authors: A
authors: Martino
authors: Domenico
authors: D
authors: Martino
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Annese
authors: Patrizio
authors: P
authors: Capoluongo
authors: Ines
authors: I
authors: Mordente
authors: Rachele
authors: R
authors: Nicolino
authors: Iris
authors: I
authors: Zalaudek
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Argenziano