An Elusive Amelanotic Melanoma and Review of Dermoscopic Findings

Amelanotic melanoma (AM) is one of the great masqueraders in dermatology. It is a very difficult clinical diagnosis to make because these tumors are devoid of pigment and other clues of melanoma. They are commonly misdiagnosed clinically as other benign and malignant conditions. We present a new case of AM in an 84-year-old woman with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer. She had a thin pink plaque that was initially misdiagnosed as a basal cell carcinoma. We also discuss dermoscopy and its valuable role to improve diagnostic accuracy. A review of dermoscopic features that favor and oppose the clinical diagnosis of AM is discussed. Even with dermoscopy, it is still important to have a high index of suspicion and a low threshold to biopsy when the clinical diagnosis is unclear.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(11):1164-1165.