Intra-Oral Spitz Naevus: A Case Report

• Main Author: Xavier, Ruth Lopes de Freitas
• Publication Date: 2008
• Other Authors: Vasconcelos, Marcelo Gadelha, Galvão, Hebel Cavalcanti, Freitas, Roseana de Almeida, Souza, Evânia Leiros de, Pinto, Leão Pereira
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Institucional da UFRN
• dARK ID: ark:/41046/001300000qm9v
• Download full: https://repositorio.ufrn.br/jspui/handle/123456789/21794
• topic: Photography, Dental; Spitz Naevus

The Spitz nevus, also known as benign juvenile melanoma or a nevus of epitheloid and spindle cells, was first described by Sophie Spitz in 1948 and is most common in children and adolescents. They can present in three different ways: solitary nodular, multiple grouped, and multiple disseminated. The great majority of lesions are solitary, nodular, and are present in children and adolescents (57%–70%), with a slight preference for the female gender. The regions where they are most frequently found are the lower extremities, the head and neck, and the trunk. A Spitz nevus is usually pink, brown, or black in color. After an initial period of growth, the majority of Spitz nevi tend to stabilize their growth, reaching, in 95% of patients, a final size smaller than 6 mm.