The prognostic significance of lymph node metastasis in pediatric melanoma and atypical melanocytic proliferations

摘要

As the incidence of melanoma continues to rise in all age groups, physicians are increasingly cognizant of the challenges in diagnosis and treatment of children with this disease. While there is evidence of better overall prognosis, some pedi-atric melanoma patients ultimately die from their disease, but which pediatric patients are at highest risk for metastasis and death remains unclear. Furthermore, many cutaneous lesions in children and adolescents are diagnostically ambiguous, sometimes despite evaluation by multiple experts.