{"id":10115,"date":"2023-06-23T07:16:57","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T06:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/signet-ring-melanoma\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T10:07:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T09:07:11","slug":"signet-ring-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/signet-ring-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Signet ring cell 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\">Signet ring cells<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-presentazione\">Presentation and lesion origin<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-diagnosi\">Differential diagnosis and immunohistochemistry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#rf-cure\">Treatment and interpretation of prognosis<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-definizione\">\n<h2>Signet ring cells<\/h2>\n<p>Signet ring cell melanoma is defined by the microscopic appearance of some cells. Cytoplasmic contents displace the nucleus towards the edge, creating a ring-like appearance. It cannot be reliably identified from the colour or shape of a skin lesion.<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions include cells with accumulated filaments, including vimentin, and others with cytoplasmic vacuoles, sometimes resembling lipoblasts. This is not a classification patients can apply to a photograph. It describes morphology rather than origin from gastric carcinoma or a fatty-tissue tumour.<\/p>\n<div class=\"im26-dg-gallery\">\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/signet-ring-melanoma-300x225.jpg\" aria-label=\"Open original image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/signet-ring-melanoma-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Signet ring cell melanoma: archive image\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Clinical or histological image retained from the site archive. It cannot be used for self-diagnosis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-presentazione\">\n<h2>Presentation and lesion origin<\/h2>\n<p>This morphology can occur in different settings, including metastatic disease. The pathologist therefore needs to establish whether the sample comes from a primary lesion or a site of spread. Published cases include the trunk and limbs, but these are not mandatory locations.<\/p>\n<p>Case numbers are too limited to establish a reliable universal age pattern or sex preference. A lesion may be nonspecific or poorly pigmented. Clinical assessment follows change, location and personal history rather than trying to recognise signet ring cells externally.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-diagnosi\">\n<h2>Differential diagnosis and immunohistochemistry<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/istopatologia-del-melanoma\/\">Histological examination<\/a> assesses the full melanocytic pattern and compares it with other tumours showing similar cells, particularly carcinomas and neoplasms with lipoblast-like features. A history of melanoma and comparison with previous samples are important.<\/p>\n<p>An immunohistochemical panel assesses melanocytic markers and markers of other cellular lineages. Expression can vary: one positive result is insufficient, and one negative result does not exclude every melanoma. Ambiguous cases may benefit from expert review and selected additional investigations.<\/p>\n<p>The report should distinguish morphological description from the final diagnosis and information required for staging. A very limited biopsy can make recognition of different components more difficult.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-section\" id=\"rf-cure\">\n<h2>Treatment and interpretation of prognosis<\/h2>\n<p>Rarity and the frequent publication of complex cases do not prove that every melanoma with this morphology has a worse prognosis independently of stage. Small series cannot provide reliable individual estimates.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/treatment\/\">Surgery<\/a> is considered for localised disease. Sentinel lymph node biopsy and further investigations depend on the clinical setting; regional lymph node dissection is not automatic. Advanced disease may be considered for immunotherapy, appropriate targeted treatments and other indicated options.<\/p>\n<p>Ask whether the lesion is primary or metastatic, which findings establish stage and whether the sample has undergone expert review. Follow-up planning depends on those answers rather than the variant name alone.<\/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\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/rhabdoid-melanoma\/\">Rhabdoid melanoma<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/rare-variants-of-melanoma\/myxoid-melanoma\/\">Myxoid melanoma<\/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\/melanoma-treatment-pdq\">NCI \u2014 Melanoma Treatment (PDQ)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.pathol.2022.11.006\">Lowe \u2014 Metastatic melanoma and rare melanoma variants (2023)<\/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>A rare cellular morphology that can mimic other tumours: integrated diagnosis, interpreting the report and evidence limitations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9693,"parent":10105,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10115","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>Signet ring cell melanoma - Il Melanoma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Signet ring melanoma is a rare histological variant of cutaneous 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\/signet-ring-melanoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Signet ring cell melanoma - 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