SPITZ NEVUS

Background. The Spitz nevus is a rare form of benign nevus, which may be confused with malignant melanoma. Methods. We reviewed the clinical and histologic features of 29 cases of Spitz nevus, of which 20 were dealt with by our department of dermatology at the Hull Royal Infirmar y between 1969 and 1990. The other nine cases were from the records of our pathology department dated between 1979 and 1991, of which seven of the lesions were excised by the surgeons and two by the general pra ctitioners. Results. In all the cases, the final diagnosis was establi shed histologically. In three cases, there were difficulties histologi cally in excluding the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. All the lesion s were solitary, and none of the lesions recurred following excision d espite the possibility of incomplete excision in some cases. Conclusio ns. We found the size of the lesion and the age of the patient importa nt factors to consider in the diagnosis of Spitz nevus. The small numb er of cases we encountered over a period of 22 years in a department t hat serves a population of around 500,000 emphasises the rarity of the condition.