Spitz nevus, Spitz tumor, and spitzoid melanoma: a comprehensive clinicopathologic overview.
Spitz nevus can clinically present either in the classical (reddish pink) or the pigmented (brownish black) variant. Dermoscopy demonstrates that the pigmented variant is much more common than the classical variant; however, none of these show dermoscopic patterns clearly distinguishable from melanoma. Even histopathologically, a clear-cut differentiation between benign and malignant spitzoid neoplasms is often difficult, so that intermediate diagnostic categories (atypical Spitz nevus and Spitz tumor) are admitted. Because of these difficulties in clinical and histopathologic evaluation, surgical excision is recommended for clinically atypical spitzoid lesions of childhood and for all spitzoid lesions of adulthood.
Anatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Oncology, 'Gaetano Rummo' General Hospital, Via dell'Angelo 1, Benevento I-82100, Italy. Electronic address: gerardo.ferrara@libero.it.
Gerardo
G
Ferrara
Raffaele
R
Gianotti
Stefano
S
Cavicchini
Tiziana
T
Salviato
Iris
I
Zalaudek
Giuseppe
G
Argenziano
D046169:Dermoscopy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D018332:Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
Atypical Spitz nevus; Dermoscopy; Histopathology; Spitz nevus; Spitz tumor; Spitzoid melanoma