Acral Lentiginous Melanoma of the Foot and Ankle - A case series and review of the literature.

Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is an uncommon, cutaneous malignant tumour which may arise on the foot. Its relative rarity, atypical appearance and late presentation frequently serve as poor prognostic indicators.

Methods: At a tertiary skin tumour centre, a retrospective review was undertaken of all patients diagnosed with the tumour at the level of ankle or below.

Results: Over a six year period, 27 cases (20 female, 7 male) were identified with positive histology confirming the disease.

The age ranged from 35-96 years of age (mean 62.7 years). The majority of the cohort were white (59%) with plantar lesions (62%).

33% of patients were initially were diagnosed incorrectly. The average time taken from the point of recognition, by the patient, to the lesion being correctly diagnosed was around 13.5 months.

Conclusions: Earlier diagnosis of ALM requires education at both a patient and practitioner level.

Author: Ivan R Bristow and Katharine Acland
Credits/Source: Journal of Foot and Ankle Research 2008, 1:11

Published on: 2008-09-15

Copyright by the authors listed above - made available via BioMedCentral (Open Access). Please make sure to read our disclaimer prior to contacting 7thSpace Interactive. To contact our editors, visit our online helpdesk. If you wish submit your own press release, click here.

Comments Page 0 of 0

There are currently 0 comments to display.

+ Add New Comment

Custom Search