Subungual melanoma is a rare tumor, representing 0.7% to 3.5% of melanoma cases among Caucasian population. In 20-30% of cases, subungual melanoma is amelanotic; the lack of melanic pigment hinders the diagnosis and, consequently, may affect the prognosis; also, the particular localization rises distinct problems regarding the therapeutically approach.
We report the case of a patient with changes of the right thumb’s nail who presented in a surgical department.
Because the persistence of ulceration resulting after nail evulsion persists, the patient was referred for biopsy in our clinic. Histo-pathological and imuno-histo-chemical examinations orientates towards subungual amelanotic melanoma diagnosis. Subsequently, the patient was referred to the oncology service for investigations and subsequent therapeutic conduct.