Once a diagnosis of primary cutaneous melanoma has been established by a pathologist, the treatment of choice is usually complete removal by surgical excision. Surgery is to accomplish two goals: (a) to permit complete assessment of the entire tumor for…
Prognostic information is helpful for individual patients affected by melanoma to understand their likely clinical outcome. However, it is also important for clinicians to assist them in making management decisions and for the design, conduct, eligibility, and analysis of clinical…
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is an important ancillary method for the histopathologic diagnosis of melanocytic proliferations. Its purpose is to correlate the presence or absence of an antigen of interest with a cell or group of cells, such as to determine its…
Most patients with primary cutaneous melanoma will be cured by surgery. However, metastatic disease develops in approximately 15% to 30% of patients. Most metastases manifest after the diagnosis of the primary melanoma, usually within less than 3 years, rarely up…
The presence of benign melanocytes within lymph nodes was first reported by Stewart and Copeland. The frequency of their detection in lymph nodes ranges from less than 1% to up to 25% in some studies. It is likely that this…
Mucosal Melanocytic Nevi Melanocytic nevi rarely grow at mucosal sites. Mucosal nevi are most often found affecting the conjunctiva or oral mucosa. Conjunctival mucosal nevi are discussed in a separate chapter. Oral mucosal melanocytic nevi are usually discovered during a…
The uveal tract is the pigmented vascularized soft tissue coat of the eye. It consists of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. Melanocytic lesions can occur throughout the uveal tract. These invclude nevi, and what may be their malignantly transofrmed…
Complexion-Associated Melanosis Complexion-associated melanosis is a benign conjunctival pigmentation that occurs more frequently in patients with darkly pigmented skin. Clinical Findings Complexion-associated melanosis, as implied in the name, tends to affect individuals with dark skin. Clinically it manifests as fine…
The purpose of this chapter is to present unusual morphologic variants of primary cutaneous melanomas, which are not the subject of specific chapters elsewhere in the book. The main value of mentioning and describing these variants is for the practicing…
Melanoma may develop in association with a blue nevus (BN), in particular a cellular blue nevus (CBN), or closely simulate the appearance of a BN (BN-like melanoma). Such tumors have historically been referred to as malignant blue nevus . Malignant…