ABSTRACT
The emphasis on early diagnosis and increasing public awareness of melanoma in children has renewed interest as well as debate concerning the melanocytic neoplasms of childhood, especially Spitz nevus and the melanoma that resembles it, so-called Spitzoid melanoma. While “classic” Spitz nevus is considered a benign melanocytic neoplasm, at the opposite end of the biologic spectrum is a subset of melanoma that can mimic Spitz nevus both clinically and histopathologically. The clinical features of Spitzoid melanoma are less well characterized; they can have similar features as in Spitz nevi, and present as solitary papules or nodules that may or may not exhibit pigmentation. The prognosis of pediatric melanoma is also controversial, mainly due to small numbers and limited follow-up. Several studies, most with limited number of cases, have examined atypical Spitz tumors and Spitzoid melanoma for gain-of-function mutations of the molecules that signal through the Ras-Erk pathway.
