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
. 2021 Jan 26;9(3):1387-1392.
doi: 10.1002/ccr3.3780. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Hemosiderotic dermatofibroma mimicking melanoma: A case report and review of the literature

Affiliations
Case Reports

Hemosiderotic dermatofibroma mimicking melanoma: A case report and review of the literature

Changzhao Li et al. Clin Case Rep. .

Abstract

Hemosiderotic dermatofibroma (HDF) often mimics melanoma clinically. A definite diagnosis relies on histopathological evaluation and immunohistochemistry. As it can progress to aneurysmal dermatofibroma (ADF), complete excision is recommended.

Keywords: aneurysmal dermatofibroma; hemosiderotic dermatofibroma; melanoma; skin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Picture showing a black skin lesion with an ill‐defined boarder on the left thigh
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Representative picture shows A, fibrohistiocytic proliferation in the dermis with Grenz zone, acanthosis, and focal epidermal basal layer hyperpigmentation, original magnification 40×; B, diffuse intracellular hemosiderin deposition in histiocytes, original magnification 400×; C, Prussian blue stain, original magnification 400X; (D) peripheral collagen entrapment by fibrohistiocytes, original magnification 400×; E, extravasation of RBCs into the interstitial spaces, engulfment of RBCs by macrophages, and production of intracellular hemosiderin; and F, area with abundant foamy histiocytes and lipoblasts, original magnification, 400×
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Pictures showing immunohistochemistry staining of (A) CD10; (B) FXIIIa; (C) CD68; (D) HMB‐45; and (E) SOX‐10

Similar articles

Cited by

  • Dermatofibroma: Reappraisal and Updated Review.
    Wan L, Park A, Almatroud L, Khachemoune A. Wan L, et al. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2025 Aug 4;18:1873-1887. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S526191. eCollection 2025. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2025. PMID: 40785832 Free PMC article. Review.

References

    1. Alves JV, Matos DM, Barreiros HF, Bartolo EA. Variants of dermatofibroma–a histopathological study. An Bras Dermatol. 2014;89:472‐477. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Senel E, Yuyucu Karabulut Y, Dogruer Senel S. Clinical, histopathological, dermatoscopic and digital microscopic features of dermatofibroma: a retrospective analysis of 200 lesions. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015;29:1958‐1966. - PubMed
    1. Santa Cruz DJ, Kyriakos M. Aneurysmal ("angiomatoid") fibrous histiocytoma of the skin. Cancer. 1981;47:2053‐2061. - PubMed
    1. Calonje E, Mentzel T, Fletcher CD. Cellular benign fibrous histiocytoma. Clinicopathologic analysis of 74 cases of a distinctive variant of cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma with frequent recurrence. Am J Surg Pathol. 1994;18:668‐676. - PubMed
    1. Singh Gomez C, Calonje E, Fletcher CD. Epithelioid benign fibrous histiocytoma of skin: clinico‐pathological analysis of 20 cases of a poorly known variant. Histopathology. 1994;24:123‐129. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources