Dysplastic nevus in histologic contiguity with acquired nonfamilial melanoma. Clinicopathologic experience in a 100-bed hospital.

In the face of alarming rates of increase in melanoma worldwide, dysplastic nevi, especially any that are clinically changing in size, color, or borders, may be regarded as playing a potential role in the progression to a tumor stage. Dysplastic nevi are known to occur in multiples in family members of heritable malignant melanoma. Intraepidermal atypical melanocytes fulfilling the criteria of the dysplastic nevus were seen in histologic contiguity with superficial malignant nonfamilial melanomas in six of 13 patients. With one exception, all melanomas in this study that were associated with histologically contiguous dysplastic nevi were relatively thin, allowing identification of the melanoma at a potentially curable stage.