Spitz nevi

Abstract

The pathologist Sophie Spitz described this lesion in 1948 as juvenile melanoma; in her honor, it is named Spitz nevus. A Spitz nevus (also known as “epithelioid and spindle-cell nevus,” “benign juvenile melanoma,” and “Spitz’s juvenile melanoma”) is a benign melanocytic nevus, with specific clinical and pathological treats. The latter terms are generally no longer used as they are misleading: Spitz nevus is a benign lesion and not a melanoma, and it does not only occur in children but also in adults.