Subungual squamous cell carcinoma of a nailbed. A case report

Subungual squamous cell carcinoma of a nailbed secondary to chronic nail biting occurred in a 37-year-old man. This is a frequently misdiagnosed lesion. A case report is presented with a review of the literature. Malignancies of the nailbed are rare entities. Up to 1986, only 52 cases had been reported in the English literature, most of which were squamous cell carcinomas. Other reported malignancies are melanomas, subungual Bowen's disease, and basal cell carcinomas. Diagnostic confusion is common because many chronic problems of the nailbed may be clinically similar and therefore mask a squamous cell carcinoma.