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DIAGNOSIS DERMATOSCOPY
HISTOLOGY LYMPHATIC
MAPPING
SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY
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BACK
PROCEED 
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The HISTOLOGY ANALYSIS of a biopsy taken from a suspicious pigmented
skin lesion is crucial. It determines the diagnosis and establishes the
morphological risk parameters, required to adequately design the further
diagnostic workup process and the implementation of therapeutic
approaches.
(1) HEMATOXYLIN-EOSIN-STAIN
The routine histology is based on a specific tissue-staining procedure,
termed "HEMATOXYLIN-EOSIN" (HE). An example of a superficial spreading
melanoma is shown to the left. It depicts the outward-directed EPIDERMIS
skin layer, which is stained intensely in violet (purple) tint.
Embedded, are circular to ovaloid cell clusters, built up by
white-colored cells carrying a violet-tinted cell nucleus. These white
"clear" cells are the MELANOMA CELLS.
(2) IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY
Sometimes, the routine workup employing the HEMATOXYLIN-EOSIN stain
won't be sufficient to establish a final diagnosis. In these instances,
IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY is required. IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY is a laboratory
procedure, in which tissue sections are exposed or incubated to specific
immunogenic compounds that had been shown to exert a pronounced binding
specificity towards specific cellular or subcellular structures. The
results of this chemical reaction, employed on histological material
(hence the term "IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY") depict the locations of the
binding process and thus pinpoints to the specific cell type, for which
these so-called IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY MARKERS had been developed. In
melanoma, the most widely applied and specific markers are: HMB-45,
S-100, NKI/C3, Melan-A, and other. The image example to the right shows
a melanoma cell-specific positive HMB-45 stain, given by its deep violet
color tint.
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