Melanoma in children is rare. Nevertheless, it is imperative that clinicians be aware that melanoma does occur in childhood. Yet there is very little information available on the clinicopathologic variations, and the prognostic parameters of melanoma in children. This report presents the results of a multicenter study of 102 lesions originally diagmsed as cutaneous melanoma, conducted among 5 Western European countries and collected during the period 1961-1994. Criteria for indusion in the study yeam at diagnosis; and (3) availability d r ep-e miQDICOPic slides. On the bark of the histdogic review only, 60 lesions were confinned as mdanoma. and 42 lesions initially diagnosed as mdanoma were redadkd * as nevi; 31 of the latter contained a predominance of spindle cdk. The onty significant pyameter associated with the devdopment of metastares or fatal outcome was t h ~k n e ~ of more than 2.00 mm. The 5-year u*yivd tate observed in this study was 84Oh. Based on these findings we condude that comiderable over-diagnosk of melanomas in children OCCIVS. In order, therefore, to give consiseent epidemiological data on mebnomas in children and to improve proper recognition of their diagnostic features, both by clinicians and by pathologists, we propo~ to set up a central regktry of melanomas in children in Eumpe, under the auspices of the European Organition for ResearchandTreabnentofCMcer.