Acral Lentiginous Melanoma, Indolent Subtype Diagnosed by En Bloc Excision: A Case Report

Nail unit melanoma is a type of acral lentiginous melanoma and requires histopathologic examination for a confirmed diagnosis. However, inadequate biopsy techniques make definitive diagnosis difficult. A 61-year-old man presented with progressive nail pigmentation for 15 years, which was clinically highly suspicious for malignancy. Acral lentiginous melanoma was not detected in punch and longitudinal biopsy specimens, but en bloc excision tissue revealed melanoma. Acral lentiginous melanoma is known to have a heterogeneous pathologic manifestation depending on the pigmented region and the time it takes to progress. In this regard, en bloc excision can be considered as a first-line biopsy technique to diagnose acral lentiginous melanoma, indolent subtype.

Melanoma subungueal de la mano: reporte de un caso / Hand’s subungueal melanoma: A case report

El melanoma es considerado una neoplasia melanocítica maligna; la localización subungueal corresponde al 0.7-3.5% de todos los melanomas. Clínicamente se presenta como una melanoniquia en general asintomática. Comunicamos un paciente masculino de 67 años, que consulta por presentar melanoniquia estriada en el cuarto dedo de la mano izquierda. El estudio histopatológico de biopsia informa un melanoma acral, por lo que se procede a realizar resección completa de la lesión con amputación de la falange distal; el paciente evolucionó satisfactoriamente. Este melanoma se origina de la matriz ungular, aunque se ha propuesto la asociación con traumas, su etiología no está clara. Histológicamente, se caracteriza por una proliferación de melanocitos atípicos o fusiformes, con grados variables de invasión; algunas lesiones son pigmentadas y otras amelanóticas. Se debe establecer el diagnóstico diferencial con: hematomas, osteomielitis, onicomicosis, granuloma piógeno, paroniquia, enfermedad de Kaposi, carcinoma espinocelular, entre otras. Algunos factores pronósticos incluyen profundidad de invasión, índice mitótico, ulceración, índice de proliferación con Ki 67 para nombrar solo algunos factores del denominado “histopronóstico”. El retraso en el diagnóstico del melanoma subungueal condiciona un mal pronóstico. El tratamiento apunta hacia la intervención quirúrgica en estadios tempranos, con evaluación del ganglio centinela (esto varía según la escuela académica). Sin embargo, actualmente se hace referencia a nuevos fármacos, que modifican la respuesta inmune o que intervienen en el metabolismo celular, con lo que se dan los primeros pasos para modificar la historia natural de esta enfermedad.

Introduction: melanoma is considered a biologically aggressive neoplasm. It’s more common in the 6th decade. Subungual melanoma corresponding to 0.7-3.5% of all melanomas. The most common locations are hallux, thumb, index and ring. Clinically, it presents as an asymptomatic melanonychia. Case Report: male aged 67 who consulted for striated melanonychia fourth finger left hand. Biopsy histopathological study reports malignant melanoma. Complete resection of the lesion was performed with amputation of distal phalanx. Patient evolves satisfactorily. Discussion: this melanoma originates from the nail matrix. Although it has been proposed partnership with traumas, its etiology is unclear. Hasn’t been able to establish an association with race, skin type and sun exposure, as in other melanoma’s types. Histologically it is characterized by a proliferation of atypical melanocytes or fusiform with varying degrees of invasion. Some injuries are pigmented and others may be amelanotic. Should be established the differential diagnosis with hematomas, osteomyelitis, onychomycosis, pyogenic granuloma, paronychia, among other injuries. Some prognostic factors include depth of invasion, mitotic rat, ulceration, proliferation index among others. The delay in diagnosis of subungual melanoma determines a poor prognosis. The treatment aims to surgery in early stages, with evaluation of sentinel node. But now referred to new drugs that modify the immune response or that involve its cellular metabolism thus taking the first steps to modify the natural history of this disease.

Delayed Reconstruction for the Non-Amputative Treatment of Subungual Melanoma

BACKGROUND: In cases of early stage subungual melanoma (SUM), conservative treatment with non-amputative wide excision of the nail unit and subsequent skin graft is preferred over amputation to preserve the involved digit. OBJECTIVE: We report a series of patients with SUM treated with conservative surgery and suggest an effective supplementary treatment process. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 10 patients (2 males, 8 females) who were diagnosed with in situ or minimally invasive SUM on the first biopsy and underwent non-amputative wide excision of the nail unit. All patients underwent secondary intention healing during the histopathological re-evaluation of the entire excised lesion, and additional treatment was administered according to the final report. RESULTS: In two of 10 patients, amputation was performed because of the detection of deep invasion (Breslow thickness: 4.0, 2.3 mm) from the final pathologic results, which differed from the initial biopsy. In six patients who received delayed skin graft, the mean total time required for complete healing after secondary intention healing and the skin graft was 66.83+/-15.09 days. As a result of this delayed skin graft, the final scarring was similar to the original shape of the nail unit, scored between 5 and 10 on a visual analogue scale. Most patients were satisfied with this conservative surgery except one patient, who had volar portion involvement and received an interpolated flap instead of a skin graft. CONCLUSION: Our treatment process can reduce the risk of incomplete resection and improve cosmetic outcomes in patients with SUM.

Melanoma subungueal: desafío diagnóstico. A propósito de un caso / Subungual melanoma: diagnostic challenge. Report of a case

Objetivo: presentación de un caso clínico de melanoma subungueal de presentación atípica en el contexto de un paciente con antecedente traumático en mano izquierda y lesión nodular metastásica en región axilar izquierda. Métodos: se presenta caso de paciente masculino de 50 años de edad con antecedente de amputación de falange distal de pulgar izquierdo por traumatismo contuso y osteomielitis quien refiere inicio de enfermedad actual al presentar una lesión nodular en región axilar izquierda que aumenta progresivamente de volumen hasta 10 cm de diámetro, adherida a planos profundos con telangiectasias peritumorales y ruptura espontánea con salida de descarga fibrinosa no fétida, acompañada de dolor de moderada intensidad con limitación funcional del miembro superior ipsilateral, motivo por el cual consulta a centro hospitalario donde es ingresado. Resultados: se le realiza biopsia de la lesión, la cual reportó tumor maligno indiferenciado de patrón epitelioide asociado a resultado positivo para vimentina y S-100 que confirma el diagnóstico de melanoma por lo que se decide iniciar ciclos de radioterapia. Conclusión: un posible diagnóstico diferencial del melanoma subungueal podría ser un hematoma subungueal pero cuando hay signos radiológicos de destrucción ósea, hay que tomar en cuenta osteomielitis, osteolisis postraumática o metástasis de un tumor primario. En pacientes con melanoma subungueal, metástasis ganglionar y antecedente de traumatismo en el sitio del tumor primario, es importante sospechar esta patología, con el fin de mejorar la supervivencia mediante el diagnóstico precoz(AU)

Objective: presentation of clinical case of an atypical presentation of subungual melanoma in the context of a patient with a history of trauma in his left hand and nodular metastatic lesion in left axillary region. Methods: a case report of male patient aged 50 with a history of amputation of distal phalanx of the left hallux due to blunt trauma and osteomyelitis who reports onset of present illness by presenting a nodular lesion in the left axillary region with progressive volume increase up to 10 cm diameter, attached to deep planes with peritumoral telangiectasias and spontaneous rupture with fibrinous and not fetid discharge outlet, with moderate intensity pain and ipsilateral upper limb functional limitation, which is why the patient is admitted to the hospital. Results: the biopsy of the lesion reported a malignant undifferentiated tumor with epithelioid pattern associated with positive outcome for vimentin and S-100 confirming the diagnosis of melanoma so it was decided to start cycles of radiotherapy. Conclusion: a differential diagnosis of the subungual melanoma could be a subungual hematoma but when there is radiographic evidence of bone destruction, we must take into consideration osteomyelitis, posttraumatic osteolysis or metastases from a primary tumor. In patients with subungual melanoma, lymph node metastases and a history of trauma in the primary tumor site, this entity must be considered in order to improve survival through early diagnosis(AU)

A Case of Amelanotic Subungual Melanoma

Amelanotic subungual melanoma is a rare dermatosis, and it is frequently misdiagnosed probably because of its nonspecific clinical features. We herein report on a case of amelanotic subungual melanoma extended to the adjacent skin in a 36-year-old Korean woman. This case is interesting in that clinically, it needed differentiation from Bowen's disease, lichen planus, sarcoidosis, etc. and very early invading features of the melanoma were observed on the histopathologic section.

A Case of Subungual Melanoma in Situ Presenting Longitudinal Melanonychia / 대한피부과학회지

A 43-year-old woman presented with two brown longitudinal streaks, which had been present in her left thumb for 5 years. A 3mm punch biopsy from the nail matrix showed that atypical melanocytes were scattered solitarily in suprabasal and basal layers. Five years after the first visit, she presented with changes of the longitudinal streaks. Two bands were altered into one 0.6cm-sized black pigmented band. There was dystrophy in the distal part of the thumb nail and extension of pigmentation to the skin adjacent to the nail plate, involving the nail fold. Axillary lymph-nodes were not palpable. A longitudinal incisional biopsy revealed increased large atypical melanocytes in suprabasal and basal layers of the epidermis. These findings strongly supported the diagnosis of subungual melanoma. Our case is interesting in that subungual melanoma presented longitudinal melanonychia.

Three Cases of Nail Matrix Nevus in Children / 대한피부과학회지

Melanonychia is a pigmented nail plate. It can be produced by so many agents and diseases that it is often impossible to differentiate from one another by history and clinical examination alone. So, a nail biopsy is often required especially to exclude subungual melanoma. Herein, we reported 3 children with melanonychia. Junctional nevus in nail matrix was the cause of their melanonychia, although their lesions were suggestive of subungual melanoma by showing Hutchinson's sign, discoloration of total nail plate and destruction of nail plate, respectively. Considering the rarity of subungual melanoma in childhood and the higher risk of permanent nail deformity after nail matrix biopsy in young children, regular observation is recommended even if the melanonychia mimic subungual melanoma clinically.