Scientific advances in the field of melanocytic tumour pathology have increased at
a breath-taking pace over the past 50 years. Work throughout the 19th century, primarily
based on morphology, established melanoma as a distinct cellular disease. The late
1960s and 1970s saw the pioneering work of Clark and Breslow delineating the prognostic
value of tumour thickness in patient outcome. The 1980s saw the development of melanocytic
immunohistochemistry, while the early 1990s ushered in Morton's technique of sentinel
lymph node biopsy. The late 1990s and early 2000s saw the description of specific
molecular abnormalities in naevi and melanoma. More recently, the development of BRAF,
CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitors have led to completely novel treatment options for melanoma.
1
A representative sample of the most important recent work in diagnostic melanocytic
tumour pathology has been distilled into this special issue. This special edition
contains concise reviews and original research presented by leading world experts
in melanocytic tumour pathology at the recent International Academy of Pathology (IAP)
World Congress melanocytic tumour pathology course held in Sydney, Australia (11–15
October 2022). It is our privilege to compile this outstanding work into a useful
compendium of up-to-date information aimed at the practising surgical pathologist,
clinicians involved in the care of patients with melanocytic lesions and medical trainees.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- A brief history of melanoma: from mummies to mutations.Melanoma Res. 2012; 22: 114-122
- Biology and genetics of acquired and congenital melanocytic naevi.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Melanocytic naevi, melanocytomas and emerging concepts.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Blue naevi and the blue tumour spectrum.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- An update on genomic alterations in Spitz naevi and tumours.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Diagnostic error, uncertainty, and overdiagnosis in melanoma.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Representativeness of initial skin biopsies showing pure desmoplastic melanoma: implications for management.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Interobserver agreement in the histopathological classification of desmoplastic melanomas.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Regression in cutaneous melanoma: histological assessment, immune mechanisms, and clinical implications.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Metastatic melanoma and rare melanoma variants: a review.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Molecular testing in melanoma for the surgical pathologist.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
- Mesenchymal tumours with melanocytic expression: a potential pitfall in the differential diagnosis of malignant melanoma.Pathology. 2023; 55 ([in this issue])
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 16, 2023
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
