Familial aggregation of malignant melanoma/dysplastic naevi and tumours of the nervous system: an original syndrome of tumour proneness

A five-generation family is here reported in which several members developed malignant melanoma, dysplastic naevi, astrocytoma in all grades, benign or malignant schwannoma, neurofibroma, or meningioma in a single instance. Significant cosegregation of skin and nervous tumours, preclusion of allelism to type 1 neurofibromatosis and phenotypic departure from known syndromes of hereditary proneness to cancer make one suggest an original familial predisposition to both malignant melanoma and central/peripheral nervous tumours.