Two rare manifestations of melanomas: generalized cutaneous melanosis and rapid solar induction of showers of small pigmented lesions. A critical review of the literature and presentation of two additional cases.

Two unusual patients with metastatic melanoma are presented. One had generalized melanosis, and the other a rapid induction of multiple small pigmented lesions within a day of exposure to the sun. From a variety of clinical observations on these 2 patients and ones reported in the literature, and from recent advances in basic biomedical knowledge, we conclude that in both conditions the anomalous presence of growth factors that stimulate the proliferation and melanogenic differentiation of normal and malignant melanocytes played a major role in producing the clinical events.