Acral lentiginous melanoma

Acral lentiginous melanoma occurs on the hands and feet, with a particular predilection for the fingers, toes, subungual areas, and heels. It is characterized by a lateral growth phase followed by a vertical growth phase. Despite the small number of reported cases it would appear that, as in other melanomas, prognosis is inversely related to depth of invasion at the time of diagnosis. The need for several biopsies or for total excision to make a definitive diagnosis of suspicious pigmented lesions of the hands or feet is noted both in a review of the literature and in the case presented.