[New method for the more precise differentiation of melanomas. Significance of formalin-induced fluorescence for the prognostic evaluation of malignant melanomas].

The value of formalin-induced fluorescence method in diagnosis of malignant melanoma. With this method in the case of malignant melanoma the melanin producing cells can be clearly demonstrated. Shape and arrangement of the tumor cells in the epidermis are to be judged accurately. It is possible to distinguish special cases of lentigo maligna melanoma from superficial spreading melanoma. In the first kind of tumor the cells mostly have long dendrites like melanocytes, whereas in superficial spreading melanoma we predominantly find round cells which only seldom show dendrites. Furthermore the fluorescence method is of great value in exact determination of the level of invasion. Only in this way it is possible to detect single tumor cells in connective tissue, in vessels and in fat tissue. Also in examination of lymph nodes even single cells or small clusters of melanoma cells can be detected.