Atypical Spitz Tumor Arising on a Congenital Linear Plaque-Type Blue Nevus: A Case Report With a Review of the Literature on Plaque-Type Blue Nevus

Am J Dermatopathol. 2015 Dec;37(12):915-9. doi: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000000282.

Abstract

The plaque-type blue nevus (PTBN) is a rare variant of blue nevus, of which only a few reports are described. A nodular growth within a preexistent PTBN should always alert to the possibility of malignant transformation. The authors report the first case of an atypical Spitz tumor arising on a congenital linear PTBN in a 60-year-old woman. The diagnosis of "atypical Spitz tumor" is here used to describe a microscopic "gray zone" in which it is not possible to differentiate with adequate certainty between a Spitz nevus and a spitzoid melanoma. This report adds to and summarizes the small body of literature describing PTBN and discusses diagnostic and clinical implications.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / pathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Nevus, Blue / congenital
  • Nevus, Blue / pathology*
  • Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell / pathology*
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology*