The long history of a melanoma associated with a congenital large plaque type blue nevus with subcutaneous cellular nodules

Francesco Savoia; Giuseppe Gaddoni; Giuseppe Re; Emilia Crisanti

doi:10.5826/dpc.0503a04

The long history of a melanoma associated with a congenital large plaque type blue nevus with subcutaneous cellular nodules

Authors

Francesco Savoia AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Unit of Dermatology, Lugo and Faenza, Italy
Giuseppe Gaddoni AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Unit of Dermatology, Lugo and Faenza, Italy
Giuseppe Re AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Unit of Internal Medicine, Lugo, Italy
Emilia Crisanti AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Unit of Pathology, Ravenna, Italy

Keywords:

blue nevus, melanoma, congenital, large plaque type blue nevus with subcutaneous cellular nodules

Abstract

The term large plaque type blue nevus with subcutaneous cellular nodules (LPTBN-SN) refers to a huge blue nevus, usually located on the trunk, that develops subcutaneous nodules many years after the lesion has appeared. The potential malignancy of an LPTBN-SN was only discovered in 2012.

We report the case of a 56-year-old Caucasian man that developed a cutaneous melanoma on an LPTBN-SN of the trunk. The first diagnosis was made more than 10 years before his death due to melanoma metastasis.

The case reported here highlights the malignant potential of an LPTBN-SN, the very long course even without treatment and the possible coexistence of benign, borderline or malignant subcutaneous nodules in the same LPTBN-SN.

Patients with large congenital blue nevi should be advised on the potential oncologic transformation of these lesions, the importance of follow-ups should be emphasized and, whenever possible, a preventive complete surgical removal should be evaluated before subcutaneous nodules develop.