Introduction: Simulators of malignant melanoma comprise a heterogeneous group of melanocytic and nonmelanocytic lesions of the skin. They are mainly characterized by the occurrence of black or blue-black colors – both in clinical diagnosis as on dermoscopy. Therefore the proper recognition of this cases is extremely needed in daily general practice of many specialties’ doctors. Objective: The a...

A multistep genetic model of tumorigenesis, based on genetic alterations in benign and primary malignant lesions, has been proposed for neoplasms such as colonic carcinoma. However, evidence for a similar genetic progression in melanoma has relied heavily on findings in cultured lesions or metastases. We have investigated every autosomal arm for loss of heterozygosity in 41 primary cutaneous me...

Despite recent advances, the biology underlying nevogenesis remains unclear. Activating mutations in NRAS, HRAS, BRAF, and GNAQ have been identified in benign nevi. Their presence roughly correlates with congenital, Spitz, acquired, and blue nevi, respectively. These mutations are likely to play a critical role in driving nevogenesis. While each mutation is able to activate the MAP kinase pathw...

Storiform collagenoma is a rare tumor, which originates from the proliferation of fibroblasts that show increased production of type-I collagen. It is usually found in the face, neck and extremities, but it can also appear in the trunk, scalp and, less frequently, in the oral mucosa and the nail bed. It affects both sexes, with a slight female predominance. It may be solitary or multiple, the l...

Vol. 27, No. 6, 2015 787 Received August 11, 2014, Revised January 10, 2015, Accepted for publication February 26, 2015 Corresponding author: Myoung Shin Kim, Department of Dermatology, Sanggye Paik Hospital, 1342 Dongil-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01757, Korea. Tel: 82-2-950-1131, Fax: 82-2-931-8720, E-mail: etihwevol@ naver.com This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creativ...

OBJECTIVE To assess interrater reliability in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma in children. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We collected 85 slides of melanomas diagnosed in patients younger than 17 years through a network of dermatopathologists and dermatologists. The slides were classified into 3 categories: (1) slides from children with metastatic melanoma; (2) slides from disease-free...

OBJECTIVE To determine the utility of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in the in vivo evaluation of dermoscopic structures of melanocytic lesions. DESIGN For each described dermoscopic feature, we evaluated by RCM at least 2 melanocytic lesions. A digital camera connected to the confocal computer enabled direct analysis of the dermoscopic structures. To ascertain precision of correlation...