{"id":10113,"date":"2023-06-23T07:10:59","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T06:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/congenital-or-infantile-melanoma\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T10:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T09:07:04","slug":"congenital-or-infantile-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/congenital-or-infantile-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Congenital or infantile melanoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"im26-diagnosis-guide\">\n<nav class=\"im26-dg-toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><strong>On this page<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-definizione\">Congenital, infantile and paediatric<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-origine\">Possible settings of origin<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-diagnosi\">Assessing a suspicious lesion<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-cure\">Treatment and family support<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-definizione\">\n<h2>Congenital, infantile and paediatric<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cCongenital\u201d means presentation at birth; \u201cinfantile\u201d refers to early infancy. Neither term covers all paediatric melanoma, which also includes older children and adolescents. These are exceptional and biologically heterogeneous conditions, so figures from very few cases cannot describe every situation.<\/p>\n<p>A congenital melanocytic nevus is a benign lesion present at birth or recognised early, not melanoma by definition. An isolated small nevus and giant or multiple nevi have different risk contexts. Even a nodule within a congenital nevus may be a benign proliferation requiring specialist distinction.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-origine\">\n<h2>Possible settings of origin<\/h2>\n<p>Melanoma may occur in association with a congenital nevus, especially in complex presentations, or without a recognisable nevus. Large or multiple nevi may also require consideration of neurocutaneous melanocytosis when clinically relevant. This does not mean every congenital nevus should be treated as a malignant tumour.<\/p>\n<p>Transplacental transmission of maternal cancer cells is an exceptional possibility, distinct from inherited susceptibility. With advanced maternal melanoma, obstetric and paediatric teams determine placental assessment and newborn surveillance. Historical counts of six cases and claims of invariably poor outcomes do not represent the full available literature.<\/p>\n<p>Xeroderma pigmentosum and immune deficiency or suppression may increase paediatric melanoma risk but are not obligatory causes of neonatal melanoma. Personal and family history guide appropriate investigations.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-diagnosi\">\n<h2>Assessing a suspicious lesion<\/h2>\n<p>Disproportionate growth, a persistently changing nodule, ulceration, bleeding or new symptoms warrant assessment. Normal childhood growth can also change a benign nevus, so change cannot be interpreted without context. Sites reported in small case series do not exclude lesions elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Diagnosis requires collaboration between paediatric dermatology and expert pathology. Adequate biopsy, comparison with the surrounding nevus and selected molecular testing help distinguish melanoma from benign proliferative nodules. Spitzoid tumours are another group requiring careful classification; not every atypical lesion is melanoma.<\/p>\n<p>Systemic investigations are chosen according to the diagnosis and clinical findings. An undocumented archive photograph cannot establish the patient\u2019s age, lesion origin or a diagnosis of congenital melanoma.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-cure\">\n<h2>Treatment and family support<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/treatment\/\">Surgery<\/a> is central to appropriate localised cases. Lymph node staging and additional treatment require dedicated paediatric decisions. Immunotherapy and targeted treatment may be considered in selected settings, taking account of age, molecular alterations, authorisations and available data. An adult protocol cannot automatically be transferred to a newborn.<\/p>\n<p>Radiotherapy and chemotherapy may have individualised roles. Care should involve a centre experienced in rare childhood tumours, including psychological support and management of long-term effects.<\/p>\n<p>Overall paediatric melanoma statistics cannot predict the behaviour of exceptionally rare congenital forms. Prognosis depends on origin, biology and extent. Families should receive a clear follow-up plan and guidance on changes to report without treating every mole as a source of alarm.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<aside class=\"im26-dg-related\">\n<h2>Continue reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/\">Rare variants of melanoma<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/tipi-particolari-di-melanoma\/melanoma-of-the-central-nervous-system\/\">Melanoma of the Central Nervous System<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/diagnosis\/\">The diagnostic pathway<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/treatment\/\">Understanding treatment<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-sources\">\n<h2>Sources and update<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/types\/skin\/hp\/child-melanoma-treatment-pdq\">NCI \u2014 Childhood Melanoma Treatment (PDQ)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/cas.16102\">Arakawa et al. \u2014 Cancer transmission during gestation and the perinatal period (2024)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Editorial revision: 17 October 2026. This information does not replace medical assessment. For very rare variants, some evidence comes from small series or case reports.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Melanoma at birth and in early infancy: exceptional conditions, specialist diagnosis and distinctions from benign congenital nevi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":10111,"parent":10105,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10113","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Congenital or infantile melanoma - Il Melanoma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Congenital or infantile melanoma is a rare melanoma and may be the result of transplacental metastatic dissemination from a mother with melanoma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/congenital-or-infantile-melanoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Congenital or infantile melanoma - 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