The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report

The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report Publisher Pubmed

Hakamifard A¹ ; Mohaghegh F² ; Shabib S³ ; Larkiharchegani A⁴ ; Eshraghi Samani R⁵

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1. Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
2. Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
3. Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
4. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
5. Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Source: International Wound Journal Published:2020

Abstract

Amelanotic melanoma (AM) of the heel is a very rare subtype of malignant melanoma in which the tumour cells, unlike other types of melanoma, are characterised by little or no melanin pigmentation. AM resembles many benign dermatological complications that often lead to late diagnosis of lesions, poor prognosis, and occasionally misdiagnosis at an early stage of the disease. We report a case of a 73-year-old man with a heel ulcer who was admitted to Al-Zahra Hospital (Isfahan, Iran). Chronic osteomyelitis was considered the primary diagnosis, and several courses of antibiotics were prescribed for the patient. The ulcer failed to improve after 9 months' of therapy, and because of an increase in the size of the ulcer and the growth of two tumours in the right heel, a biopsy of the lesion was conducted. The pathology report confirmed invasive AM. The present report emphasises the necessity to biopsy all skin lesions, even with low clinical significance, to avoid wrong subsequent treatments, prevent a delay in diagnosis, reduce misdiagnosis, and improve the survival rate of patients. © 2020 Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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Fatemeh Mohaghegh (1)

Style	Citing Format
MLA	Hakamifard A, et al.. "The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report." International Wound Journal, vol. 17, no. 3, 2020, pp. 819-822.
APA	Hakamifard A, Mohaghegh F, Shabib S, Larkiharchegani A, Eshraghi Samani R (2020). The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report. International Wound Journal, 17(3), 819-822.
Chicago	Hakamifard A, Mohaghegh F, Shabib S, Larkiharchegani A, Eshraghi Samani R. "The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report." International Wound Journal 17, no. 3 (2020): 819-822.
Harvard	Hakamifard A et al. (2020) 'The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report', International Wound Journal, 17(3), pp. 819-822.
Vancouver	Hakamifard A, Mohaghegh F, Shabib S, Larkiharchegani A, Eshraghi Samani R. The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report. International Wound Journal. 2020;17(3):819-822.
BibTex	@article{ author = {Hakamifard A and Mohaghegh F and Shabib S and Larkiharchegani A and Eshraghi Samani R}, title = {The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report}, journal = {International Wound Journal}, volume = {17}, number = {3}, pages = {819-822}, year = {2020} }
RIS	TY - JOUR AU - Hakamifard A AU - Mohaghegh F AU - Shabib S AU - Larkiharchegani A AU - Eshraghi Samani R TI - The Heel Amelanotic Melanoma, a Rare Subtype of Skin Cancer Misdiagnosed As Foot Ulcer: A Case Report JO - International Wound Journal VL - 17 IS - 3 SP - 819 EP - 822 PY - 2020 ER -

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