{"id":8420,"date":"2009-11-14T22:33:27","date_gmt":"2009-11-14T22:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/melanoma\/istopatologia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T11:39:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T10:39:21","slug":"istopatologia-del-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/istopatologia-del-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Histopathology of 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=\"#guide-section-1\">From specimen to diagnosis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#guide-section-2\">Key terms to understand<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#guide-section-3\">Additional stains and tests<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#guide-section-4\">Discussing the report<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<section id=\"guide-section-1\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>From specimen to diagnosis<\/h2>\n<p>After a biopsy, tissue is prepared as thin sections and stained. The pathologist assesses the cells, their distribution and their relationship to skin layers. A clinical photograph cannot provide this information.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"guide-section-2\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>Key terms to understand<\/h2>\n<dl>\n<dt>In situ or invasive<\/dt>\n<dd>Whether cells are confined to the epidermis or invade underlying tissue.<\/dd>\n<dt>Thickness and ulceration<\/dt>\n<dd>Important features for staging invasive melanoma.<\/dd>\n<dt>Margins<\/dt>\n<dd>The relationship between the lesion and the edges of the removed specimen.<\/dd>\n<dt>Other findings<\/dt>\n<dd>May include mitoses, microsatellites and other case-specific features.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<div class=\"im26-dg-gallery\">\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/istologia-melanoma.jpg\" aria-label=\"Histology slide, archive image 1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/istologia-melanoma.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"307\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Histology slide, archive image 1\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Histology slide, archive image 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/istologia-melanoma-2.jpg\" aria-label=\"Histology slide, archive image 2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/istologia-melanoma-2.jpg\" width=\"320\" height=\"254\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Histology slide, archive image 2\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Histology slide, archive image 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"guide-section-3\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>Additional stains and tests<\/h2>\n<p>In selected cases, immunohistochemistry helps identify the nature of the cells. Markers are interpreted together; none should be read as a stand-alone \u201cpositive or negative for melanoma\u201d home test. Additional tests may be requested to clarify difficult cases.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"guide-section-4\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>Discussing the report<\/h2>\n<p>Ask your doctor to explain the diagnosis, margins and next steps. For an uncertain or complex case, specialist review of the slides may be helpful. Do not change follow-up or treatment based on one word in a report.<\/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\/staging-of-melanoma\/breslow-index\/\">Breslow index<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/staging-of-melanoma\/\">Staging and prognosis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/melanoma-diagnosis\/\">Melanoma diagnosis<\/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:\/\/dermnetnz.org\/topics\/melanoma-pathology\" rel=\"noopener\">DermNet \u2014 Melanoma pathology<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.airc.it\/cancro\/informazioni-tumori\/guida-ai-tumori\/melanoma-cutaneo\" rel=\"noopener\">AIRC \u2014 Melanoma cutaneo<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Editorial update: 16 October 2026. This information provides guidance and does not replace a medical assessment.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Histological examination assesses tissue under a microscope to establish the diagnosis and describe features relevant to care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":4144,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8420","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Histopathology of melanoma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The histopathology of melanoma is a complex field concerned with the study of cellular and tissue changes associated with the disease.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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