{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:38:40Z","timestamp":1760060320491,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]],"date-time":"2025-08-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755734400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Spitz tumors represent a diagnostic challenge in dermatopathology due to their large spectrum of morphological characteristics and overlap with malignant lesions, especially in pathology departments where molecular pathology is not available. Even though most Spitz lesions are benign, the uncertainty around their biological behavior necessitates an integrated approach in daily practice. The objective of our study was to evaluate the epidemiological, macroscopic, and histopathological characteristics of Spitz lesions in accordance with WHO Classification of Skin Tumours. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective, descriptive, and hypothesis-generating study on Spitz tumors diagnosed between 2018 and 2024 in the Clinical Pathology Department of the Mures Clinical County Hospital, Romania. We included 10 cases and analyzed their macroscopic characteristics (localization, shape, dimension, and color), microscopic characteristics (cellular types, cytologic atypia, pagetoid migration, mitoses, and the type of lesion), and immunohistochemical profile. Results: The study population was composed of young patients with an average age of 20.2 years old, with a slight predominance of female gender. Most lesions were Spitz nevi, intradermic, or compound, with a fusiform, epithelioid, or rhomboid cell shape. Pagetoid migration and cytological atypia were seen in fewer cases. The Ki 67 proliferation index was under 5% in all cases. The main limitation of this study involved the low number of cases and the lack of molecular testing, which limited the molecular characterization of Spitz tumors. Complete excision was performed in all cases. Conclusions: In the absence of molecular testing, our study emphasizes the importance of clinical\u2013morphological assessment using immunohistochemistry in establishing a correct diagnosis in Spitz lesions. Our results confirm that most of the Spitz lesions were benign and provide a basis for future research with a multidisciplinary approach, including molecular testing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61081501","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,22]],"date-time":"2025-08-22T07:41:45Z","timestamp":1755848505000},"page":"1501","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Decoding the Spitz Puzzle: Histological Patterns and Diagnostic Challenges in Everyday Pathology Practice\u2014A Single-Center Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5985-2433","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iuliu Gabriel","family":"Cocuz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5436-8624","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georgian-Nicolae","family":"Radu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-7690-9701","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria C\u0103t\u0103lina","family":"Popelea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Histology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-9016-5412","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raluca","family":"Niculescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6998-6600","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Elena","family":"Cocuz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fundamental Prophylactic and Clinical Disciplines Department, Faculty of Medicine, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500003 Bra\u0219ov, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pneumology and Infectious Diseases Hospital of Brasov, 500174 Brasov, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adrian-Hora\u021biu","family":"Sab\u0103u","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9603-6256","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreea-C\u0103t\u0103lina","family":"Tinca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andreea Raluca","family":"Cozac-Szoke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bogdan","family":"Pastor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7024-2916","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diana Maria","family":"Chiorean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7785-0121","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Corina Eugenia","family":"Budin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Pneumology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1172-8262","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Irina Bianca","family":"Kosovski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Laboratory Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ovidiu Simion","family":"Cotoi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathophysiology Department, \u201cGeorge Emil Palade\u201d University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Pathology Department, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"International Agency for Research on Cancer (2023). 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