[Dermoscopic study of cutaneous malignant melanoma: descriptive analysis of 45 cases]

Dermoscopy or epiluminescence microscopy is a novel in vivo technique that can be used for the diagnosis of pigmented cutaneous lesions. The aim of this study was to analyze the dermoscopic patterns observed in a consecutive series of primary cutaneous melanomas.

A cross-sectional study was carried out in which clinical, histological, and dermoscopic characteristics were analyzed in 45 primary melanomas.

Two thirds of the series were thin melanomas and 50 % were in situ melanomas. According to the ABCD rule, there was clinical suspicion of melanoma in 72 % of the lesions. Specific dermoscopic patterns were observed in 93 %. A multicomponent pattern was the most commonly observed (71 %). A nonspecific pattern was observed in 7 % of lesions. The most noteworthy local findings were irregular pigmented patches (80 %), irregular dots and globules (68 % and 62 %), atypical pigmented network (57 %), blue-gray veil (42 %), and radial streaming and pseudopods (20 %). In addition, hypopigmented areas (86 %), regression structures (80 %), and vascular abnormalities (73 %) were also often seen. Acral lesions presented patterns characteristic of these sites.

Analysis of dermoscopic patterns aids early definitive diagnosis of melanoma and is particularly useful in the case of clinically indolent lesions. Dermoscopic findings provide information complementary to that obtained by conventional histology.