title: Subungual pigmented nevus: evaluation of DNA ploidy in six cases.
abstract: The discrimination between subungual pigmented nevus and subungual melanoma in situ is still a clinical problem. We measured DNA ploidy in six cases of subungual melanotic lesions which exhibited the features of subungual pigmented nevus or lentigo simplex histologically. Five cases presented a diploid pattern with or without a slight increase of hyperdiploid cells. One case presented a polyploid pattern; it also exhibited histologically abnormal melanocytes with large nuclei and pigment-filled elongated dendrites. The DNA ploidy pattern and histologic features suggest that the lesion of this latter case contains abnormal melanocytes which probably have the potential to undergo a malignant transformation into a subungual melanoma. DNA ploidy analysis, therefore, is likely to provide information for evaluating the biologic behavior of subungual melanotic lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asahina
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Otsuka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D009262:Nails / Q000473:pathology*; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011003:Ploidies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm