Morphologic clues and utility of fluorescence in situ hybridization for the diagnosis of nevoid melanoma.

Background: Nevoid melanomas include melanomas with a low power silhouette similar to melanocytic nevi. However, at higher power magnification, nevoid melanoma may have severe nuclear atypia and dermal mitoses.

Methods: We performed a clinical, pathological and molecular study on a series of 58 examples of nevoid melanoma, excluding cases with spitzoid morphology.

Immunosuppression is an independent prognostic factor associated with aggressive tumor behavior in cutaneous melanoma.

Background: A number of factors other than those identified by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) may have prognostic significance in the evaluation of melanoma.

Objective: We sought to evaluate commonly recorded clinical features potentially associated with aggressive melanoma.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study.

Multiple Cutaneous Melanomas and Clinically Atypical Moles in a Patient With a Novel Germline BAP1 Mutation.

Importance: Several kindreds having germline BAP1 mutations with a propensity for uveal and cutaneous melanomas and other internal malignancies have been described in an autosomal dominant tumor predisposition syndrome. However, clinically atypical moles have not been previously recognized as a component of this syndrome, to our knowledge. We describe the first kindred to date with a germline mutation in BAP1 associated with multiple cutaneous melanomas and classic dysplastic nevus syndrome.

A clinical, histopathologic, and outcome study of melanonychia striata in childhood.

Background: The current literature suggests that approximately 5% to 10% of melanonychia striata cases in adults are the result of subungual melanoma.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the clinical and histopathologic features and to determine the outcomes and causes of melanonychia striata in a cohort of children.

Methods: We assessed 30 childhood cases of melanonychia striata for features typically associated with melanoma such as Hutchinson sign, width of the pigmented band, evolution, color, and nail dystrophy.

Gene expression profiling for molecular staging of cutaneous melanoma in patients undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Background: A gene expression profile (GEP) test able to accurately identify risk of metastasis for patients with cutaneous melanoma has been clinically validated.

Objective: We aimed for assessment of the prognostic accuracy of GEP and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) tests, independently and in combination, in a multicenter cohort of 217 patients.

Methods: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to assess the expression of 31 genes from primary melanoma tumors, and SLNB outcome was determined from clinical data.

A comparative study of proliferative nodules and lethal melanomas in congenital nevi from children.

Differentiating proliferative nodules (PNs) from melanomas arising in congenital nevi (CN) is a considerable challenge for dermatopathologists. Most of the specimens dermatopathologists assess that deal with this differential diagnosis involve proliferations of melanocytes arising in the dermis. In this study, we compare the clinical, histologic, and molecular findings of these 2 conditions.

Primary dermal melanoma: a unique subtype of melanoma to be distinguished from cutaneous metastatic melanoma: a clinical, histologic, and gene expression-profiling study.

Background: Primary dermal melanoma (PDM) is a subtype of melanoma confined to the dermis that may be morphologically impossible to distinguish from cutaneous metastatic melanoma (CMM).

Objective: We sought to better characterize PDM by describing the clinical, histologic, and molecular features of 49 cases of PDM and determine whether a gene expression-profiling test could help distinguish PDM from CMM.

Methods: We describe 49 cases of PDM and determined whether any clinical or histopathologic features had a statistically significant relationship with outcome.

Desmoplastic nevus of chronically sun-damaged skin: an entity to be distinguished from desmoplastic melanoma.

Desmoplastic (sclerotic) nevus (DSN) can often be difficult to differentiate from desmoplastic melanoma (DM). This can be especially difficult when DSNs occur in a background of heavy solar elastosis. We have observed numerous examples of DSNs occurring in chronically sun-damaged (CSD) skin.

Comparative analysis of atypical spitz tumors with heterozygous versus homozygous 9p21 deletions for clinical outcomes, histomorphology, BRAF mutation, and p16 expression.

Studies have shown that atypical Spitz tumors (ASTs) with homozygous deletions in 9p21 have worse prognosis than those without this finding. Conversely, numerous studies have shown that a range of other copy number aberrations including isolated 6q23 or 3p21 loss may be seen in ASTs without conferring higher risk for aggressive behavior. We studied 31 cases of ASTs with heterozygous 9p21 loss and hypothesize that heterozygous 9p21 loss in ASTs does not confer an increased risk for aggressive behavior.