Spitz naevus is rare in Korea

Summary Background.  Spitz naevi have not been widely studied in Asians. Aim.  To compare the epidemiology and clinicopathological features of Spitz naevi in Koreans with lesions in western countries. Methods.  In total, 80 Spitz naevi in 77 patients diagnosed over 10 years at 17 university hospitals in Korea were analysed. Results.  The relative incidence of Spitz naevus vs. MM was 1 vs. 10.9. In most patients (75%) the Spitz naevi had been present for > 6 months. The size of the lesion was relatively large. Histologically, most of the lesions (54%) were the dermal type and pigmentation was common (49% of lesions). Immunohistochemical study found that all of the 34 lesions were positive for S-100 protein but only 14 (47%) were positive for HMB-45. Conclusion.  Spitz naevus is rare in Korea. The lesions were more commonly larger, pigmented, and of the dermal type than reported in western countries.