Korean J Dermatol.  2005 Jan;43(1):96-98.

A Case of Subungual Melanoma in Situ Presenting Longitudinal Melanonychia

• Oh JJ
• Park JH
• Lee DY
• Lee ES

Abstract

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.

Keyword

Longitudinal melanonychia; Subungual melanoma

MeSH Terms

Adult
Biopsy
Diagnosis
Epidermis
Female
Humans
Melanocytes
Melanoma*
Pigmentation
Skin
Thumb