Dermoscopy and confocal microscopy of nested melanoma of the elderly: recognizing a newly defined entity.

Abstract

Nested melanoma of the elderly is a newly identified histopathologic variant of superficial spreading melanoma, characterized by intraepidermal large nests. However, the clinical, dermoscopic, and confocal aspects have been depicted only partially. In our cases series, nested melanoma was a flat, irregularly shaped lesion with variably pigmented and irregularly distributed globules on dermoscopic examination. Confocal microscopy revealed the presence of a "clod" pattern made of large compact nests with variable atypia. These findings correlated well with histopathologic features. Nested melanoma of the elderly should be included in the differential diagnosis when a flat pigmented lesion, showing dermoscopically an irregular globular pattern, is seen in a patient older than 60 years.