A male patient over 60 years old came to the Hospital for examination because he saw a black-brown line running along the fingernail on his right finger for about 6 years, initially he thought it was a black nail stripe.
However, over time, the nail stripe on the 3rd finger of the right hand gradually increased in size and spread to the skin around the nail. For about 6 months now, the nail has been deformed, split, rough and raised.
Patients are examined by doctors at the Department of Surgery, Plastic Surgery and Rehabilitation and prescribed necessary tests such as Dermoscopy analysis, which is an early skin cancer diagnostic method with high sensitivity and specificity, resulting in melanoma.
Next, the patient was indicated for a biopsy of the entire lesion and the diagnosis was definitive: melanoma T1AN0M0 at stage 1A - an extremely dangerous form of melanoma. Currently, the patient has undergone surgery to remove the entire tumor according to standards and after surgery the patient is stable.
Melanoma is the most malignant type of skin cancer, accounting for about 5% of skin cancer patients, because the disease has the ability to metastasize quickly and silently without mechanical symptoms, especially late-stage treatment is very costly. The rate of melanoma of the nail is about 3% in Europe, but in Asia it accounts for about 25% of melanoma in the skin.
Why is melanoma of the nail scary?
Dr. Nguyen Huu Quang, Deputy Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Deputy Head of the Professional Group of Melanoma Cell Cancer, National Hospital of Dermatology, said: Unlike skin cancer in other areas, melanoma cell cancer of nails is often detected late because:
Easy to confuse: Very similar to blood clots from trauma or nail fungus.
Subjectivity: Patients often wait for the black spot to "sprout and then cut it off", but in fact, cancer cells are located in the root of the nail, so the black spot will never disappear and especially there are no pain or discomfort symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
Metastatic speed: If not intervened early, melanoma cells can metastasize to bones, brains and internal organs quickly.
5 "golden" rules to recognize
If you or your loved one have black marks on their nails, check the following factors immediately:
Common in the age group from 50 years old and older.
- Colored band: Black line wider than 3mm, uneven edge.
- Change: The black line gradually widens horizontally or the color gradually darkens.
- Expansion: Black color spreads from the nail to the surrounding skin (the most dangerous sign).
- Nail deformity: nail separation, nail roughness or nail protrusion
Dr. Nguyen Huu Quang added that melanoma is one of the most malignant skin cancers because it progresses quickly and metastases far away.
Although the disease is very malignant with a high rate of metastasis, if detected early and treated according to the correct protocol, it will give good results, the 5-year survival rate is very high. It is recommended that people monitor and have periodic health check-ups, especially when black lesions appear on fingers, toes or soles of hands and feet, go to see a specialist doctor.
