Malignant Melanoma of the Skin in Children Registered in the Swedish Cancer Registry During 1959–1971

Abstract

A clinical follow-up and histopathological re-examination of 26 cases originally diagnosed as malignant melanoma in children under 14 years of age registered in the Swedish Cancer Registry during 1959–1971 has been undertaken. Only one met current criteria of a malignant melanoma. This tumour occurred in a giant naevus in a 3-year-old girl, who died with widespread metastatic melanoma within a year. The other cases were reclassified as melanocytoma of Spitz, cellular blue naevus, compound naevus and neurofibroma. The results confirm that malignant melanoma is a rare tumour in prepubertal children. The risk for histophatological overdiagnosis is much higher in children (95%), than in adults (4%).