A Rare Case of Acral Lentiginous Melanoma

Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is named so for its site and histological orientation. It is an infrequent form of melanoma that usually presents with lesions on the palms, soles, or nails. Although rare, it's the most commonly discovered subtype of melanoma in the non-Caucasian population, including Africans, Chinese, Koreans, and Latin Americans. It's most likely to be diagnosed in the sixth or seventh decade of life. Acral lentiginous melanoma can clinically mimic ulceration, verrucous lesions, onychomycosis, subungual hematomas, vascular lesions, and infections. Here, we are presenting the case of a 65-year-old male who was admitted to the surgery ward in Acharya Vinobha Bhave Rural Hospital with a chief complaint of a lesion over the plantar surface of his left foot for the last one or two years and was referred to the Department of Dermatology for the same. The lesion was sighted by the patient a long time before his visit to Acharya Vinobha Bhave Rural Hospital. A physical examination showed a blackish, poorly delineated soft tissue lesion on the left heel. An excisional biopsy and proper management were carried out for the patient. Patient education and greater awareness about this tumor and its early detection can serve as important weapons to increase the patient survival rate and prognosis of acral lentiginous melanoma.