Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2020 Dec;47(12):1143-1149.
doi: 10.1111/cup.13854. Epub 2020 Sep 8.

Clinical and histopathological features of pagetoid Spitz nevi of the thigh

Jina Chung  1 , Zhimin M Yuan  2 , Jason B Lee  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Clinical and histopathological features of pagetoid Spitz nevi of the thigh

Jina Chung et al. J Cutan Pathol. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Pagetoid Spitz nevus is a rare subtype of Spitz nevus usually found on the lower extremities, particularly on the thigh of women. As a rare and under-recognized entity that can be misdiagnosed as melanoma, further characterization of clinical and histopathological features is needed to improve its recognition.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of all melanocytic neoplasms from the thigh diagnosed over a 3-year period.

Results: Fifty-five (15.4%) of the 357 melanocytic neoplasms on the thigh were Spitz nevi, the majority of them occurring in women (87.3%). Of the 55 Spitz nevi, 33 (60.0%) were pagetoid Spitz nevi, 14 (25.5%) were Reed nevi, and eight (14.5%) were conventional Spitz nevi. The mean age of patients with pagetoid Spitz nevi was 47.2, the majority being women (84.9%). Pagetoid Spitz nevi were small, with a mean histopathologic diameter of 4 mm, and often junctional (63.6%). Compared to Clark nevi of the thigh, pagetoid Spitz nevi comprised significantly more solitary melanocytes with a greater degree of scatter.

Conclusions: These results suggest that Spitz nevi and, in particular, pagetoid Spitz nevi constitute a significant percentage of nevi on the thigh. Previously reported benign clinical and histopathological features of pagetoid Spitz nevi are confirmed in this study.

Keywords: atypical spitz tumor; melanoma; misdiagnosis; pagetoid Spitz nevus; thigh nevus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

REFERENCES

    1. Cesinaro AM, Foroni M, Sighinolfi P, Migaldi M, Trentini GP. Spitz nevus is relatively frequent in adults: a clinico-pathologic study of 247 cases related to patient's age. Am J Dermatopathol. 2005;27(6):469-475.
    1. Requena C, Requena L, Kutzner H, Sanchez YE. Spitz nevus: a clinicopathological study of 349 cases. Am J Dermatopathol. 2009;31(2):107-116.
    1. Busam KJ, Barnhill RL. Pagetoid Spitz nevus. Intraepidermal Spitz tumor with prominent pagetoid spread. Am J Surg Pathol. 1995;19(9):1061-1067.
    1. Han MH, Koh KJ, Choi JH, Sung KJ, Moon KC, Koh JK. Pagetoid Spitz nevus: a variant of Spitz nevus. Int J Dermatol. 2000;39(7):555-557.
    1. Donati P, Muscardin L, Cota C, Panetta C, Paolino G. The melanocytic epithelioid cell nevus of the thigh of woman: a simulator of melanoma. Am J Dermatopathol. 2012;34(8):853-855.

MeSH terms