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September Fotoiotaderma (#176)
BLUE
NOTES
IOTADERMA #177 What do taches bleues, taches noires, macula caerulea, erythema chronicum migrans, and ‘‘breakfast, lunch, and dinner’’ all have in common (other than being truly wonderful sounding)? Robert I. Rudolph, MD, FACP Answer will appear in the November 2008 issue of the Journal.
SEPTEMBER FOTOIOTADERMA (#176) Do you know what the pink globules in the photomicrograph below are called, and in what tumor are they often found? What does the presence of these bodies portend?
Fig 1. Photomicrograph courtesy of Dr Terry Marshall, Rotherham, England. (Hematoxylineeosin stain; original magnification, 3200.)
Answer: They are Kamino bodies, and they are commonly found in benign Spitz nevi. They are eosinophilic and periodic acideSchiffepositive globules. Kamino bodies are infrequently found in malignant melanomas (in which case they are usually single), and their presence—especially in clumps or large numbers like in the photomicrograph above—provides a useful clue that the lesion in question is actually benign. They are collections of collagen and laminin, as well as fibronection, and are not thought to be the result of an apoptotic process. REFERENCES McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA. Melanocytic lesions of the face: diagnostic pitfalls. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2004;33:3-14. Wesselmann U, Becker LR, Brocker EB, LeBoit PE, Bastian BC. Eosinophilic globules in spitz nevi: no evidence for apoptosis. Am J Dermatopathol 1998;20:551-4.
Robert I. Rudolph, MD, FACP
705
NOTES
IOTADERMA #177 What do taches bleues, taches noires, macula caerulea, erythema chronicum migrans, and ‘‘breakfast, lunch, and dinner’’ all have in common (other than being truly wonderful sounding)? Robert I. Rudolph, MD, FACP Answer will appear in the November 2008 issue of the Journal.
SEPTEMBER FOTOIOTADERMA (#176) Do you know what the pink globules in the photomicrograph below are called, and in what tumor are they often found? What does the presence of these bodies portend?
Fig 1. Photomicrograph courtesy of Dr Terry Marshall, Rotherham, England. (Hematoxylineeosin stain; original magnification, 3200.)
Answer: They are Kamino bodies, and they are commonly found in benign Spitz nevi. They are eosinophilic and periodic acideSchiffepositive globules. Kamino bodies are infrequently found in malignant melanomas (in which case they are usually single), and their presence—especially in clumps or large numbers like in the photomicrograph above—provides a useful clue that the lesion in question is actually benign. They are collections of collagen and laminin, as well as fibronection, and are not thought to be the result of an apoptotic process. REFERENCES McCarthy SW, Scolyer RA. Melanocytic lesions of the face: diagnostic pitfalls. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2004;33:3-14. Wesselmann U, Becker LR, Brocker EB, LeBoit PE, Bastian BC. Eosinophilic globules in spitz nevi: no evidence for apoptosis. Am J Dermatopathol 1998;20:551-4.
Robert I. Rudolph, MD, FACP
705