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Pigmented squamous cell carcinoma with dendritic melanocytes
Author(s) -
Kossard Steven,
Cook David
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
australasian journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.67
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1440-0960
pISSN - 0004-8380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-0960.1997.tb01132.x
Subject(s) - dermis , pathology , epidermis (zoology) , basal cell , medicine , lesion , nodule (geology) , biopsy , biology , anatomy , paleontology
SUMMARY A 79‐year‐old man presented with a pigmented nodule on the right ear which, on epiluminescence microscopy, demonstrated a diffuse grey‐blue colour. Skin biopsy revealed an irregularly acanthotic epidermis with lobular clusters of atypical keratinocytes that projected into the dermis in the pattern of an invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Numerous dendritic melanocytes were present throughout the lesion. Although the close relationship between the highly dendritic intra‐epidermal melanocytes and the atypical keratinocytes raised the issue of whether this tumour represented a malignant melanoacanthoma, the authors considered the lesion to be better classified as an unusual variant of pigmented squamous cell carcinoma.