HISTOPATHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF MALIGNANT MELANOMA

Abstract

THE CLINICAL diagnosis of a primary malignant melanoma of the skin can usually be made with a considerable degree of certainty by those acquainted with its characteristics, but even then the final diagnosis is ultimately dependent on the histological features of the lesion. In less typical cases the clinical diagnosis may be equivocal or the true nature of the lesion unsuspected before its removal, and the microscopical picture will be the sole basis for the diagnosis. Usually the microscopical features of a fully developed malignant melanoma of the skin are striking and definitive, and so no question is left as to the exact diagnosis. There are, however, instances in which the differences between an early malignant melanoma and a junction nevus may be difficult to determine, and such a case demands the most critical evaluation of all the findings by the experienced worker. Occasionally other pigmented nevi, such