Martin C. Mihm
Brigham & Women’s Hospital
USA
Title: Pathogenesis and comparison of atypical spitz nevi vs benign spitz, and childhood melanoma
Biography
Biography: Martin C. Mihm
Abstract
This presentation will review the clinical and pathologic features of the Spitz group of lesions that cause both clinical and histopathological difficulties in diagnosis. The clinical features of each entity will be described, followed by the appropriate histopathologic criteria that will also be illustrated. The benign Spitz nevus will be compared to atypical Spitz nevi, and atypical Spitz’s tumors. Many of the latter lesions have the ability to metastasize but usually do not extend beyond regional lymph nodes. The criteria for the diagnosis of the atypical Spitz’s tumor will be presented in detail. The malignant counterpart of the Spitz nevus will also be described. The treatment of each entity will be presented. A recently described entity, considered by many a variant of the Spitz nevus, the so-called BAPoma, will also be shown in clinical and histopathologic detail. The mutation that results in this tumor will be discussed, as well as the heritable nature of patients affected by this trait. Finally, the second portion of the talk will review malignant melanoma of childhood, its incidence, clinical presentation, and histopathology. Emphasis will be placed on the lesions that have the capacity to cause death in children. These lesions will be compared to and contrasted with the Spitz nevus and its associated atypical counterparts. Treatment of childhood melanoma will also be detailed. Recent molecular techniques including Frozen In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) will also be reviewed.
