The Histopathological Analysis of 531 cases of Melanocytic Nevus of the Face

Abstract

We examined 531 HE stained specimens of melanocytic nevi on the face, which were histopathologically diagnosed in our laboratory from April 1990 to March 2000. First, these specimens were divided into two groups, non-elevated and elevated lesions. Two hundred and five cases were non-elevated, and 326 cases were elevated. We think that non-elevated lesions are earlier lesions than elevated ones. Second, based on the location of the tumor cells, these specimens were classified into three groups: junctional, compound, and dermal. Fifteen cases were junctional, 134 cases were compound, and 382 cases were dermal. We clinicopathologically recognized four types of lesions; Unna’s, Miescher’s, Spitz’s, and Clark’s nevus, as advocated by Ackerman. There were 3 cases of Unna’s nevus, 511 cases of Mieschers’s nevus, 1 case of Spitz’s nevus, and 16 cases of Clark’s nevus in our study. We determined two characteristics that the melanocytic nevus of the face has; one is that the junctional type is rare, and the other is that Miescher’s nevus is the most common.