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Skin Cancer Acral-Lentiginous Melanoma

Acral lentiginous melanoma accounts for 7% of all melanomas. Acral lentiginous melanoma is more common in males than females, and usually in older people. It occurs primarily on the hands and feet, including about the nails of people with darker skin types (IV-VI). Similar lesions also occur on the modified skin around the mouth, anus and genitalia. Acral lentiginous melanoma is the most common form of melanoma in the skin of Asian and Black people, accounting for more than half of melanomas in these groups. It is the least common form of melanoma in Caucasian people. Other than location, the lesion is similar in appearance to lentigo maligna and lentigo maligna melanoma, appearing as a flat slowly expanding pigmented macule with a fairly uniform, mottled color. It appears and evolves over years. The sudden appearance of a pigmented band originating at the proximal nail fold or pigmentation in the proximal or distal nail fold is called Hutchinson’s sign is suggestive of acral-lentiginous melanoma.