33944 Primary dermal melanoma: A comprehensive review of etiology, pathogenesis and clinical prognosis

Abstract

Purpose: Primary dermal melanoma (PDM) is a rare type of melanoma that originates in the dermis and/or subcutaneous fat with no involvement of the epidermis. Historically, PDMs have been a controversial entity due the difficulty in distinguishing it from a primary melanoma with a regressed epidermal component or an in-transit metastasis from an unknown primary site. However, unlike the former, which bear a poor prognoses, PDMs appear to have favorable clinical outcomes despite ominous histopathologic Breslow depths.