Melanocytic neoplasia of the sole: diagnosis and therapeutic approach.

We examined retrospectively a series of 184 cases of melanocytic neoplasia of the sole observed and treated as out-patients from January 1977 to December 1987, comparing clinical and histological diagnoses. The original clinical diagnoses were divided into nevi, pigmented lesions of suspected malignancy, cutaneous melanomas and others. Of the 170 cases diagnosed clinically as nevus none was of melanoma. The risk that a pigmented skin lesion diagnosed as clinically benign is melanoma is so low as not to constitute a clinical problem. It is concluded that systematic removal of sole nevi is unjustified. If, however, there is the smallest doubt concerning a sole lesion, it should be removed and examined histologically.