The dysplastic nevus. Clinical and pathologic features

The dysplastic nevus has not only been considered to be a "marker," but also a formal "precursor" of malignant melanoma. Therefore, these lesions are important to recognize clinically. This article presents a classification of the dysplastic nevus based upon its variable clinical presentations. It is hoped that this classification will assist the physician to recognize many of the clinical variants of this unusual melanocytic nevus and, thus, to identify patients at greater risk for the development of malignant melanoma.