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Subungual Pigmented Nevus: Evaluation of DNA Ploidy in Six Cases
Author(s) -
Asahina Akihiko,
Chi HyungIn,
Otsuka Fujio
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1346-8138.1993.tb01322.x
Subject(s) - ploidy , dermatology , nevus , medicine , biology , genetics , melanoma , gene
The discrimination between subungual pigmented nevus and subungual melanoma in situ is still a clinical problem. We measured DNA ploidy in six cases of subungual melanotic lesions which exhibited the features of subungual pigmented nevus or lentigo simplex histologically. Five cases presented a diploid pattern with or without a slight increase of hyperdiploid cells. One case presented a polyploid pattern; it also exhibited histologically abnormal melanocytes with large nuclei and pigment‐filled elongated dendrites. The DNA ploidy pattern and histologic features suggest that the lesion of this latter case contains abnormal melanocytes which probably have the potential to undergo a malignant transformation into a subungual melanoma. DNA ploidy analysis, therefore, is likely to provide information for evaluating the biologic behavior of subungual melanotic lesions.