• Geeta Ahuja, Jae Ho Kim, Joseph Francis Tran, Siobhan Nnorom, Ahmed Ali, Mohammed Ibrahim, Ginette A Okoye, Babak Shokrani, Jacqueline Dunmore-Griffith, Kirk Geter, FrederickWayne A IWAIHoward University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States; Division of Surgical Oncology, Dept. of Surgery, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC, United States., and Lori Wilson.
• Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States. Electronic address: geeta.ahuja203@gmail.com.
• J Natl Med Assoc. 2022 Jun 1; 114 (3): 290294290-294.

AbstractOf the four subtypes of cutaneous melanoma, acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is atypical in its presentation. ALM is a rare melanoma subtype that presents on the volar surfaces of the hand and foot. The difficulty of making an early diagnosis of ALM is highlighted by the case seen in our institution. The dire prognosis associated with ALM is postulated to be not only related to its destructive nature, but also due to a lack of patient awareness and vigilance, inadequate physician awareness, and disparity in healthcare access. We present this as a unique account of an ALM lesion in a 76 year old African-American male presenting originally in the left foot that went misdiagnosed for several years. The original lesion was considered to be an ulcerating left great toe lesion with signs typical of osteomyelitis. These clinical findings were corroborated by radiological x-ray evidence. Upon amputation and biopsy for suspected worsening osteomyelitis five years later, the pathological diagnosis of melanoma was finally made.Copyright © 2022 National Medical Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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