Two cases of unusual acral melanocytic tumors: illustration of molecular cytogenetics as a diagnostic tool

Abstract

The differential diagnosis between benign Spitz nevus and malignant melanoma may present considerable difficulties in some cases. Here we report 2 unusual melanocytic tumors with spitzoid features developing in acral sites of Japanese patients to illustrate the use of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to classify these lesions. Case 1 was a 12-mm-thick, >2 cm-diameter nodule on the sole of a 37-year-old man. Case 2 was a subungual tumor of the left index finger in a 13-year-old boy. CGH showed absence of chromosomal aberrations in case 1 and multiple aberrations in case 2, including focused amplification as previously described in acral melanomas. Case 1 was free of disease after 2.5 years of follow-up, whereas case 2 developed lymph node metastasis. We conclude that molecular techniques such as CGH can be of diagnostic help in the classification of histologically ambiguous lesions.