Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39511946›Full record

ArticleJournal of cutaneous pathology2025

Role of Targeted Sequencing in Routine Diagnostics of Spitz Melanocytic Neoplasms-An Analysis of 70 Cases.

Daja Šekoranja, Andrej Zupan, Alenka Matjašič, Emanuela Boštjančič, Eduardo Calonje, Jože Pižem

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cutaneous pathology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Molecular pathology in the diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma.Pathologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Daja ŠekoranjaInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6106-7493
Andrej ZupanInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3394-7690
Alenka MatjašičInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9933-8495
Emanuela BoštjančičInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8091-4595
Eduardo CalonjeDepartment of Dermatopathology, St John's Institute of Dermatology, London, UK.
Jože PižemInstitute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1207-2514

Funding

Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is growing evidence that the Spitz group of melanocytic neoplasms should be restricted to those harboring kinase receptor fusions and HRAS mutations/11p15 amplification. The presence of genomic alterations characteristic of conventional melanomas (BRAF and NRAS mutations) precludes a diagnosis of a Spitz neoplasm. It is often challenging to distinguish Spitz neoplasms from conventional melanomas with spitzoid morphology on histopathological grounds alone.

methodsWe report a series of 70 consecutive melanocytic tumors in which targeted sequencing was indicated to distinguish Spitz from spitzoid neoplasms and to classify Spitz neoplasms along the biological spectrum.

resultsFinal diagnoses incorporating molecular results included 12 conventional melanomas (nine of which with NRAS mutations), five Spitz melanomas, 35 atypical Spitz tumors, eight Spitz nevi, three melanocytic tumors with a MAP2K1 mutation, and seven desmoplastic Spitz nevi/tumors. There were significant discrepancies between initial diagnoses and final diagnoses after incorporating molecular results in 24 (34%) cases, including nine conventional melanomas favored to be Spitz neoplasms and nine Spitz neoplasms favored to be conventional melanomas.

conclusionsIt is often not possible to reliably distinguish Spitz neoplasms from spitzoid melanocytic tumors without identifying their driver genomic alterations. Applying next-generation sequencing in diagnostically problematic tumors improves diagnostic accuracy.

Indexed as

MelanomaMutationNevus, Epithelioid and Spindle CellSkin NeoplasmsAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolDiagnosis, DifferentialFemaleGTP PhosphohydrolasesHigh-Throughput Nucleotide SequencingHumansMaleMAP Kinase Kinase 1BRAF protein, humanGTP PhosphohydrolasesMAP2K1 protein, humanMAP Kinase Kinase 1Membrane ProteinsNRAS protein, humanProto-Oncogene Proteins B-rafatypical Spitz tumormalignant Spitz tumorMAP2K1Spitz nevusspitzoid

Identifiers

PMID39511946
PMCPMC11710898

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.