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Acral lentiginous melanoma: Basic facts, biological characteristics and research perspectives of an understudied disease
Author(s) -
BasurtoLozada Patricia,
MolinaAguilar Christian,
CastanedaGarcia Carolina,
VázquezCruz Martha Estefania,
GarciaSalinas Omar Isaac,
ÁlvarezCano Alethia,
MartínezSaid Héctor,
RoldánMarín Rodrigo,
Adams David J.,
Possik Patricia A.,
RoblesEspinoza Carla Daniela
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pigment cell and melanoma research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1755-148X
pISSN - 1755-1471
DOI - 10.1111/pcmr.12885
Subject(s) - acral lentiginous melanoma , melanoma , disease , dermatology , medicine , pathology , cancer research
Acral lentiginous melanoma is a histological subtype of cutaneous melanoma that occurs in the glabrous skin of the palms, soles and the nail unit. Although in some countries, particularly in Latin America, Africa and Asia, it represents the most frequently diagnosed subtype of the disease, it only represents a small proportion of melanoma cases in European‐descent populations, which is partially why it has not been studied to the same extent as other forms of melanoma. As a result, its unique genomic drivers remain comparatively poorly explored, as well as its causes, with current evidence supporting a UV‐independent path to tumorigenesis. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of the aetiology and diagnostic criteria of acral lentiginous melanoma, as well as its epidemiological and histopathological characteristics. We also describe what is known about the genomic landscape of this disease and review the available biological models to explore potential therapeutic targets.