[Multifocal vulvar pigmentation: Don't ignore a rare diagnosis]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatology
• Pathology

Background:

• Vulvar melanoma is a rare malignancy with incompletely understood origins.
• It exhibits distinct characteristics compared to cutaneous melanoma, including frequent achromia and multifocality.
• The lentiginous histological subtype (MLM) is predominant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the unique pathological features of vulvar melanoma.
• To compare and contrast vulvar melanoma with its cutaneous counterpart.
• To investigate the association with distant lentiginous melanocytic hyperplasia.

Main Methods:

• Histopathological analysis of vulvar melanoma cases.
• Comparative study with cutaneous melanoma data.
• Evaluation of adjacent and distant melanocytic lesions.

Main Results:

• Vulvar melanoma frequently presents as achromic (non-pigmented) lesions.
• Multifocality is a common characteristic of vulvar melanoma.
• Lentiginous melanocytic hyperplasia at a distance was observed in approximately 50% of cases.

Conclusions:

• Vulvar melanoma possesses unique clinical and pathological features.
• The lentiginous histological type (MLM) is characteristic.
• The high incidence of associated distant lentiginous melanocytic hyperplasia warrants further investigation.