Nail health
Melanoma can effect nails too
Typically when people hear the word Melanoma, they think skin cancer. Melanoma can also occur in the least expected parts of the body.
In addition to other parts of the body not generally exposed to the elements, Melanoma can be found on the palms and soles of the feet as well as underneath the fingernails and toenails.
Subungual Melanoma is a specific type of Melanoma that occurs under the nail bed, more commonly in darker-skinned people who were once thought to be the least susceptible to the disease.
As opposed to paler-skinned people, whose highest incidence of Melanoma occurs on the trunk in men and the legs in women, darker-skinned people tend to develop most Melanomas on the palms, fingers, soles, toes and 'Subungual' areas (under and around the nails).
The reasons these areas develop Melanoma are still unknown, since the most common reason for the cancer is overexposure to the sun, although a damaged gene, known as the P16 gene is thought to be a factor leading to Melanoma.
The tumours may appear as flat patches of darkened colour, slightly rounded masses, or elevated, often cone shaped growths. They may be black, blue or a combination of colours. The border may be irregular, and in about 50 percent of patients the growth is ulcerated.
Initially the most common indicator the Subungual Melanoma is present is generally the appearance of a dark coloured stripe that runs along the length of the nail plate, not across the nail. The mere presence of a dark nail stripe is not necessarily Melanoma. Signs and criteria that are concerning for Subungual Melanoma and should be evaluated at a health care provider include;
Hutchinson's Sign
- A spread of pigmentation into the nail folds
- Pigmentation in a single digit
- Occurs in the thumb, index finger or great toe
- Blurred borders
- Occurs at age 50 or older
- History of chronic nail infections
- History of malignant Melanoma
The only treatment for Subungual Melanoma is amputation of the toe or finger. If you or someone you know exhibits any of the above symptoms, or fits the criteria for susceptibility to the disease, it is imperative to seek a professional skin examination with special attention to the palms, soles, fingers, toes and nail areas.
Oct/Nov 2003 The Nail Business