Clues to the diagnosis of atypical melanocytic lesions.

This review, based on a lecture given at the 2009 Update in Dermatopathology meeting held at the Institute of Dermatology (London, UK), discusses the problem of misdiagnosing atypical benign melanocytic lesions as melanoma and the alternative problem of interpreting naevoid melanoma as a banal naevus. Consequences are considered. Brief consideration of a range of other melanoma variants that may be a source of diagnostic difficulty is also included.