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Query: UMLS:C0027960 (mole)
 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Melanocytic nevi occurring in lymph nodes create diagnostic difficulty by mimicking metastases. Few studies describe nodal nevi in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) excised for melanoma. We evaluated 72 cases in which patients had undergone SLN biopsy for melanoma. Lymph nodes and cutaneous melanomas were evaluated according to a standard protocol. Nodal nevi were identified in 8 patients (11%). Of these, 6 (75%) had an associated cutaneous nevus (P = .006). Of 21 patients with an associated nevus, 4 (19%) with nodal nevi had a cutaneous nevus with congenital features (P = .01). The incidence of nodal nevus correlated with a Breslow thickness greater than 2.5 mm (P = .02). Nevi were not seen in non-SLNs. Nodal nevi appear more frequently in patients with melanoma-associated cutaneous nevi, particularly if congenital features are present. The increased frequency of nodal nevi in SLNs relative to non-SLNs suggests an etiology of mechanical transport of nevus cells.
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PMID:Nodal melanocytic nevi in sentinel lymph nodes. Correlation with melanoma-associated cutaneous nevi. 1475 Feb 41

Angiolipoma is a distinct, benign soft tissue tumor that most commonly occurs in young males as multiple small, subcutaneous, tender to painful nodules with predilection for the forearms. We report a case of angiolipoma that developed within a lymph node. The patient was a 67-year-old man who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy with diagnostic pelvic lymphadenectomy because of adenocarcinoma of the prostate. The prostate and 3 lymph nodes located in the obturator fossa were removed. On gross examination, the cut surface of 1 of the lymph nodes revealed an 8 x 5 mm, ovoid, sharply demarcated, nonencapsulated, gray lesion being suspicious for adenocarcinoma metastasis. Microscopically, the major portion of the lymph node was replaced by mature metaplastic adipose tissue. The angiolipoma was seen as a well-demarcated, nonencapsulated lesion composed of numerous small blood vessels lined by monomorphous flattened or spindled endothelial cells. Many vascular lumina were filled with fibrin thrombi. There were scanty mature adipocytes. Focally, areas with increased cellularity and a suggestion of solid growth of the endothelial cells were seen. Lymph nodes are known to be a rare primary site of various tumors usually occurring in other organs. The knowledge of these tumors is important in order not to interpret them as metastatic lesions. The most recognized examples are pigmented nevi, palisading myofibroblastoma, various benign epithelial inclusions, serous cystic tumors of borderline malignancy, and hyperplastic mesothelial inclusions. As we present in this report, angiolipoma is another neoplasm whose primary occurrence in the lymph node should not be misinterpreted as a metastatic tumor or malignant vascular tumor.
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PMID:Primary intranodal cellular angiolipoma. 1573 63

Dear Editor, The diagnosis of malignant melanoma accounts for 1-2% of all cancer diagnoses, around 4% of all malignant skin diseases, and 80% of all skin cancer deaths (1). The prognosis depends on several factors including tumor size, Clark level, Breslow thickness, location, ulceration, and presence of metastases. Detection of lymph node metastasis is initially accomplished by clinical examination and by operative evaluation for occult metastasis using sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) when indicated (2). Lymph nodes (LN) with melanoma metastasis may appear normal in early stages, but eventually they become dark, firm, and enlarged (3). In 2017, a 32-year-old female patient was referred to our ward by a dermatologist following a biopsy excision of a nevus under her right breast that tested positive for a cutaneous melanoma grade T2aNx with a Breslow thickness of 1.9 mm, with no sign of ulceration and no history of previous illnesses or chronic diseases. Based on the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) guidelines, wide excision with a sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy was indicated (4). The patient was injected with 0.4 mL CiTc 99m Nanocoll in all four quadrants around the primary scar. A 2 cm wide elliptical excision was performed circumferentially around the scar and to the depth of the muscular fascia of the thorax. With the aid of a gamma probe, a single radioisotope positive lymph node was located in the ipsilateral axilla, but 5 dark pigmented lymph nodes situated behind the SLN were visualized during manual dissection and thought to be consistent with metastatic disease (Figure 1). Due to this new finding, an excisional biopsy of all pigmented nodes was performed. Histology of the excised skin did not demonstrate any further cancerous cells. The size of the SLN was 15 mm, and immunohistochemistry for Melan A was negative for metastatic melanoma. Histological analysis of the darkly pigmented nodes was negative for metastatic melanoma as the pigment was demonstrated to originate from the dermal tattoo on the patient's back that had been removed by dermabrasion 3 years before melanoma development (Figure 2, Figure 3). Dermal tattooing results in initial sloughing of the overlying epidermis, variable dermal inflammation, and gradual assimilation of pigment into macrophages. Much of the pigment is rapidly carried into regional draining LN, which was shown in 2010 on a SKH-1a mouse model, and causes lymphadenopathy which is thought to be a result of local inflammation (6). Importantly, even after removal of the offending cutaneous tattoo the tattoo pigment can persist in draining or distant nodes visible to the naked eye (7). In such cases, LN can mimic metastatic malignant melanoma and may prompt the surgeon to proceed with radical lymph node dissection which may not be necessary. Despite clear guidelines for melanoma treatment in the general population, there are several questions that need to be addressed: firstly, how should a physician approach a patient with unknown history of tattoo removal, a diagnosis of melanoma, and intraoperative darkly pigmented lymph nodes? Secondly, due to the lack of scientific data and treatment protocol, if the SLN is normally colored while other regional nodes are darkly pigmented, what should the treatment plan entail?
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PMID:Tattoo Pigment within Regional Lymph Nodes Mimicking Cutaneous Melanoma Metastasis. 3265 Aug 54