title: Subungual melanoma: an important tip.
abstract: Acral lentiginous melanoma is rare, representing approximately 1% of malignant melanomas. Overall 5 year survival is disproportionately poor (25-51%) compared to other histological subtypes. This has been attributed to diagnostic delay resulting in more advanced presentation. Subungual presentation in the fingers is uncommon, reported in 1-13% of all acral lentiginous melanomas. We report a unique and diagnostically challenging case. Contrary to previously reported examples in the literature, the actual neoplastic pathology was detected in the less pigmented finger tip skin rather than the deeply pigmented nail bed germinal and sterile matrix that showed no evidence of malignancy. We therefore advocate that in cases where skin surrounding the nail is involved, this surrounding skin should also be biopsied, even if it is less pigmented than the primary lesion.
authors.affiliation: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Department, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Countess of Chester Health Park, Liverpool Road, Chester CH2 1UL, UK. DrBMiranda@googlemail.com
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Haughton
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Fahmy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D018327:Hutchinson's Melanotic Freckle / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D035583:Rare Diseases; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery