CASE REPORT   

Italian Journal of Dermatology and Venereology 2021 February;156(1):89-91

DOI: 10.23736/S2784-8671.16.05222-6

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Recurrent lentigo maligna in a young patient

Giovanni PAOLINO ¹, Chiara PANETTA ², Michele DONATI ³, Dario DIDONA ⁴ ✉, Anna CARBONE ², Luca M. MUSCARDIN ², Paolo PIEMONTE ², Pietro DONATI ²

¹ Clinic of Dermatology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; ² Dermatopathological Laboratory, San Gallicano Dermatology Institute, Rome, Italy; ³ Unit of Pathology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy; ⁴ First Division of Dermatology, IRCCS Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata (IDI), Rome, Italy

Lentigo maligna (LM) is usually diagnosed in sun-damaged skin of elderly patients and a correct excision of the lesion determines a complete healing from the disease. LM is very rare in young patients and, for this reason, it can be commonly misdiagnosed. We describe the case of a locally recurrent LM in a 19-year-old male patient, which initially arose at the age of 17 years. In order to avoid diagnostic pitfalls, clinicians have to put more emphasis on diseases which previously were prerogative only of elderly patients and that now could begin to engage a younger age, according to climate and behavior changes.

KEY WORDS: Age of onset; Biopsy; Dermoscopy; Melanocytes; Melanoma