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Conservative surgical treatment of a thin acral lentiginous melanoma of the thumb with no recurrences: a case report
Author(s) -
Proietto Gianluca,
Giaculli E.,
De Biasio F.,
Guarneri G. F.,
Rampino Cordaro E.,
Parodi P. C.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
dermatologic therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1529-8019
pISSN - 1396-0296
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8019.2013.01550.x
Subject(s) - medicine , acral lentiginous melanoma , degloving , thumb , amputation , surgery , hand surgery , melanoma , cancer research
Surgical treatment for acral lentiginous melanoma ( ALM ) is usually radical and severely invalidating, given its distinctly aggressive nature and poor prognosis. We report on a 76‐year‐old male patient with ALM of the left thumb who refused total amputation that would limit his gripping function. A “surgical degloving” was consequently performed, followed by plastic reconstruction with a radial antebrachial (the so‐called C hinese) flap. A year after surgery, the patient was able to perform most finalized thumb movements without difficulty, and no metastases were recorded over a 5‐year follow‐up. The authors discuss the indications for such a treatment for thinner ALM in relation to the biological behavior of ALM .