Arch Dermatol
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Acral lentiginous melanoma represents a fourth variant of malignant melanoma in company with lentigo maligna melanoma, superficial spreading melanoma, and nodular melanoma. It is characterized by a lentiginous (radial) growth phase that evolves over months or years to a dermal (vertical) invasive stage. ⋯ This variant of melanoma probably represents the most common expression of melanoma in blacks; two thirds of the patients in our study were black. The average three-year survival rate was 11%.