{"id":10069,"date":"2023-06-22T13:24:46","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T12:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/melanoma\/common-types-of-melanoma\/acrolentiginous-melanoma\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T13:53:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:53:52","slug":"acrolentiginous-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/common-types-of-melanoma\/acrolentiginous-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Acrolentiginous melanoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"im26-diagnosis-guide\">\n<nav class=\"im26-dg-toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><strong>On this page<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#mt-definizione\">What acral lentiginous melanoma is<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mt-cause\">Location and relationship with sunlight<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mt-aspetto\">Possible appearances<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mt-diagnosi\">Dermatological assessment and biopsy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mt-cure\">Treatment and hand or foot function<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<section id=\"mt-definizione\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>What acral lentiginous melanoma is<\/h2>\n<p>Acral lentiginous melanoma arises from melanocytes at acral sites: the palms, soles and nail unit. \u201cLentiginous\u201d describes a pattern of cell growth, not an ordinary freckle.<\/p>\n<p>It is relatively rare in fair-skinned populations but represents a larger proportion of melanomas diagnosed in dark-skinned and some Asian populations. This compares the distribution of subtypes; it does not mean melanoma overall is more common in people with dark skin.<\/p>\n<p>It affects both sexes and different ages, particularly adults and older people. Widely varying study percentages should not be applied directly to an individual or used to exclude suspicion in other groups.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"mt-cause\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>Location and relationship with sunlight<\/h2>\n<p>The soles and other less visible areas can delay recognition. Nail-unit disease is also covered in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/common-types-of-melanoma\/nail-melanoma\/\">nail melanoma<\/a> page because it presents particular diagnostic and surgical issues.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike many melanomas on sun-exposed skin, acral melanoma has no established relationship with UV exposure. Its causes are not fully understood and should not automatically be attributed to injury, footwear or friction. Sun protection remains important for skin health but does not replace observation of palms, soles and nails.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"mt-aspetto\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>Possible appearances<\/h2>\n<p>One possible presentation is an enlarging brown or black patch with irregular shape, edges or colour. A raised or nodular component may subsequently develop. Poorly pigmented, pink or ulcerated lesions resembling a nonhealing wound also occur.<\/p>\n<p>Calluses, warts, bruises and other benign conditions can complicate recognition. A persistent change or a lesion not responding as expected to treatment warrants reassessment. Pain does not have to be present.<\/p>\n<p>The archive photograph shows a digit with nail-area involvement; it does not represent every acral presentation. No photograph alone reliably distinguishes melanoma from a benign lesion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"im26-dg-gallery\">\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/melanoma-lentigginoso-acrale.jpg\" aria-label=\"Open original image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/melanoma-lentigginoso-acrale.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"331\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Acral lentiginous melanoma: archived clinical image\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Image from the site archive: Acral lentiginous melanoma. This photograph illustrates a case and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"mt-diagnosi\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>Dermatological assessment and biopsy<\/h2>\n<p>Examination considers location, evolution, pigmentation and the person\u2019s other lesions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/melanoma-diagnosis\/dermoscopy\/\">Dermoscopy<\/a> examines pigment distribution in relation to acral skin structures; interpreting these details requires specific experience.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/istopatologia-del-melanoma\/\">Histological examination<\/a> confirms the diagnosis. Biopsy technique depends on extent and location, aiming for adequate sampling even in functionally delicate areas. A superficial or unrepresentative sample may not describe the whole lesion.<\/p>\n<p>The report establishes invasion, Breslow thickness, ulceration and margins. These findings inform consideration of sentinel lymph node biopsy and other investigations. Clinical inspection alone cannot determine stage.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"mt-cure\" class=\"im26-dg-section\">\n<h2>Treatment and hand or foot function<\/h2>\n<p>Surgery is central to localised disease. Planning must obtain adequate margins while considering weight-bearing, mobility, healing and reconstruction. Acral location does not automatically mean amputation; decisions depend on extent and the structures involved.<\/p>\n<p>Higher-risk or advanced cases may be considered for immunotherapy and targeted treatment when actionable molecular alterations are present. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy have selected roles. Biology may differ from other melanomas, so treatment is based on the findings in the individual case.<\/p>\n<p>Prognosis depends mainly on stage and pathological features. Delayed recognition can contribute to more advanced diagnosis but does not determine every patient\u2019s outcome. During <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/melanoma-diagnosis\/autoesame-della-cute\/\">skin self-examination<\/a>, include the soles, spaces between digits and nails, and report new changes promptly.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<aside class=\"im26-dg-related\">\n<h2>Continue reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/common-types-of-melanoma\/\">All melanoma types<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/common-types-of-melanoma\/nail-melanoma\/\">Nail melanoma<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/diagnosis\/\">The diagnosis pathway<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/guides\/treatment\/\">Understanding treatment<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"im26-dg-sources\">\n<h2>Sources and update<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/types\/skin\/hp\/melanoma-treatment-pdq\">National Cancer Institute \u2014 Melanoma Treatment (PDQ)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/39550033\/\">ESMO \u2014 Cutaneous melanoma: Clinical Practice Guideline (2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dermnetnz.org\/topics\/acral-lentiginous-melanoma\">DermNet \u2014 Acral lentiginous melanoma<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Editorial revision: 16 October 2026. This information does not replace medical assessment.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Melanoma at acral sites: palms, soles and the nail unit. Appearance, diagnosis and treatment across all skin colours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9546,"parent":10053,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10069","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Acrolentiginous melanoma - Il Melanoma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Acrolentiginous melanoma represents about 2-3% of all melanomas in Caucasians, while it occurs more frequently in Asians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ilmelanoma.com\/en\/melanoma\/common-types-of-melanoma\/acrolentiginous-melanoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Acrolentiginous melanoma - 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