Pigmented epithelioid melanocytoma: favorable outcome after 5-year follow-up

Am J Surg Pathol. 2009 Dec;33(12):1778-82. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0b013e3181b94f3c.

Abstract

Pigmented epithelioid melanocytoma (PEM) is a recently described entity encompassing epithelioid blue nevus (of Carney complex) and most tumors earlier considered as so-called "animal-type melanoma". Loss of expression of a Carney complex gene, cyclic adenosine 3',5' monophosphate-dependent protein kinase regulatory subunit 1alpha, is observed in the majority of PEMs. Initial reports with short-term follow-up have suggested that although PEMs frequently metastasize to lymph nodes, they have a more favorable outcome than conventional melanomas. In this report, we present the results of long-term follow-up in 26 patients with PEMs from North America and Australia. There were 9 males and 17 females, with a median age of 20 years. The tumors involved the trunk (6 cases), extremities (12 cases), genitalia (1 case), and the head and neck region (7 cases) had a median Breslow thickness of 2.2 mm (range 0.80 to 10.0 mm) and a median Clark level of 4. Eight of the patients developed lymph node metastases. After a median follow-up period of 67 months (range 39 to 216 mo), all patients are alive and free of disease. These findings provide further evidence that PEM is a unique low-grade melanocytic tumor with limited metastatic potential (to lymph nodes), but a favorable long-term clinical course.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Australia
  • Biopsy
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Epithelioid Cells / pathology*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Nevus, Blue / secondary
  • Nevus, Blue / surgery*
  • North America
  • Skin Neoplasms / secondary
  • Skin Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Young Adult