Dysplastic nevus: The eye of the hurricane

Abstract

Dysplastic nevi were generally recognized, thanks to the contributions of Clark et al. in 1978. These lesions were described in a familial context, which was called the 'B-K mole syndrome'. However, it is worth noting that this was not the first time that these nevi had been described in the literature. If we look back in history, we can find that in 1820, Norris had already described some very similarly pigmented lesions, also in a familial context, just as Cawley subsequently did in 1952. Clark coined the term of dysplastic nevi for lesions presenting in patients with personal and family histories of malignant melanoma, having from 10 to 100 nevus lesions of a certain size, irregular shape and variable pigmentation of more than 5 mm. In addition, he pointed out that histologically, such lesions were principally characterized by the presence of atypical melanocytic hyperplasia. © Blackwell Munksgaard 2008.