TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hamm, Henning
A1  - Höger, Peter H
T1  - Skin Tumors in Childhood
T2  - Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
N2  - Background: 

Dermatologists, paediatricians, and general practitioners are often consulted by worried parents for the evaluation of a cutaneous tumor.

Methods: 

Selective literature review. 

Results: 

Only 1-2% of skin tumors excised in children turn out to be malignant when examined histologically. Warning signs of malignancy include rapid growth, firm consistency, diameter exceeding 3 cm, ulceration, a non-movable mass, and presence in the neonatal period. The more common malignant skin tumors in adults-basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma-are very rare in childhood. Congenital melanocytic nevi and sebaceous nevi bear a lower malignant potential than previously believed; nevertheless, their excision is often indicated. A Spitz nevus can mimic a melanoma both clinically and histologically. Some benign skin tumors of childhood tend to regress spontaneously within a few years but may cause complications at particular locations and when multiple. For infantile hemangiomas requiring systemic treatment because of imminent obstruction or ulceration, propranolol seems to have a far more favorable risk-benefit ratio than corticosteroids. 

Conclusion: 

Physicians need specialized knowledge in order to decide whether a skin tumor in a child should be excised, non-surgically treated, or further evaluated, or whether it can be safely left untreated because of the likelihood of spontaneous remission.
KW  - congenital melanocytic nevi
KW  - mastocytosis
KW  - diagnosis
KW  - melanoma
KW  - children
KW  - lumps
Y1  - 2011
UR  - https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/14240
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142402
VL  - 108
IS  - 20
ER  -