Spitzoid malignant melanoma with lymph-node metastasis: Is a copy-number loss on chromosome 6q a marker of malignancy?

Distinction of spitzoid malignant melanomas (SMM) from Spitz nevi may be difficult or even impossible on the basis of conventional histology. In this report, a patient suffering from a primary lesion diagnosed as a Spitz nevus and a metastatic malignant melanoma approximately 4 years thereafter is described. A diagnosis of SMM was made subsequently upon review of the primary lesion. In the present analysis, we used comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to define markers characteristic of SMM. The primary lesion revealed deletions on chromosomes 6q and 9p. In the metastasis, additional deletions on chromosomes 10p and 10q and gains of chromosome 7 were found. To our knowledge, no chromosomal aberration on chromosome 6 was hitherto demonstrated in benign melanocytic nevi. Findings reported in the literature suggest that human melanoma metastasis suppressor gene maps to 6q. In contrast, losses on chromosome 9p seem to be an early event in the development of melanoma. However, they are not only found in melanomas but are occasionally present in Spitz nevi as well as in atypical nevi. The CGH result with deletion of 6q in this difficult to diagnose primary melanocytic lesion strongly supports the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. To demonstrate the reliability of loss on chromosome 6q as a marker of SMM, a larger number of lesions must be investigated.