Tumorigenic Melanocytic Proliferations

The key role of histopathology in analysis of a melanocytic tumor is the recognition or exclusion of a malignant melanoma. The analysis of typical features leads to a correct diagnosis in the majority of cases. However, there are cases that are problematic, because of conflicting or insufficient criteria, in which a confident diagnosis is difficult. These difficult lesions account for a large proportion of the diagnostic errors and lawsuits in cutaneous pathology. There is another group of cases