Do You Have a Definition for Typical Melanocytic Nevus

To the Editor: I have read—in sufficient detail I believe—the article by Morales-Callaghan et al1 on atypical melanocytic nevi without actually finding a definition of typical melanocytic nevus. If there are atypical cases of such nevi, it is to be supposed that they differ in some way from typical, and by extension habitual or common, ones. In addition, according to Table 1 of the aforementioned article, of the 200 lesions studied, 70 were melanocytic nevi without atypical features (that is, typical), 104 were atypical melanocytic nevi, and the remaining 25 corresponded to other lesions. Given that the lesions were “randomly selected,” we might think that what the authors describe as atypical were in fact typical, as they are the most common and one of the defining features of something atypical is that it is exceptional or rare. Otherwise we have to conclude from their study that there are more individuals in Valladolid at risk of developing melanoma than not developing it. Is this the case?