[Juvenile melanoma; a clinical and histological study]

Investigations were carried out in 52 female and 18 male patients, aged between 2 and 49 years, with juvenile melanoma. The tumor occured as a solitary tumor in all cases except one. It was mainly localized on the head (54%), and the extremities, on the trunk in three cases only. In 35% the tumor could be diagnosed clinically. Light microscopy revealed in 37.1% spindle cells, in 17.1% epitheloid cells, and in 45.7% the juvenile melanoma was of the mixed type. A proliferation of the vascular endothelial cells (37.1%) as well as immature looking mast cells in the tumor region were prominent findings. A transepidermal elimination of tumor cell nests was noted in one case. The other results are in agreement with earlier descriptions of this tumor.