Eruptive Melanocytic Nevi: A Review

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Dermatopathology

Background:

• Eruptive melanocytic nevi (EMN) is a condition marked by the sudden appearance of multiple moles.
• Understanding triggers and clinical variations of EMN is crucial for diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review published cases of EMN.
• To identify potential precipitating factors, clinical features, and the natural course of EMN.
• To propose a refined classification for EMN.

Main Methods:

• A systematic bibliographic search was performed across multiple databases.
• 93 articles comprising 179 patients with EMN were selected for analysis.
• Data on suspected causes, clinical manifestations, and outcomes were extracted and synthesized.

Main Results:

• Suspected causes included skin/other diseases (50%), immunosuppressive agents/chemotherapy/melanotan (41%), and miscellaneous/idiopathic (9%).
• EMN associated with skin diseases often presented as few, large nevi at the site of prior disease.
• EMN from other causes typically appeared as numerous, small, widespread nevi. 16% had dysplastic nevi; 5 cases had associated melanoma.

Conclusions:

• The clinical presentation of EMN varies based on the triggering factor.
• A new subclassification is proposed: widespread eruptive nevi (WEN) and Köbner-like eruptive nevi.
• WEN are numerous small nevi triggered by drugs/diseases; Köbner-like are few large nevi linked to skin disease/trauma.