The neurotropic variant of desmoplastic spindle cell melanoma of the foot--a report of two cases with special reference to its schwanian features.

Melanomas are known to show a wide range of morphological expression. Desmoplastic Malignant Melanoma (DMM) which is a variant of spindle cell melanoma, is often characterised by conspicuous growth in and around nerves which leads to a mistaken diagnosis of malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath tumours (MPNST). We report two such cases of spindle celled DMM of the foot which displayed neurotropism. The problems and the clinical relevance of distinguishing this variant of melanoma from MPNST is discussed.