Melanoma of the feet: misdiagnosed and misunderstood

Acral lentiginous melanoma of the foot is a relatively rare but often very aggressive variant of melanoma. More commonly identified in patients with darker skin, diagnosis of the lesions is often delayed because the area is not routinely examined by patients or primary care physicians. In addition, these lesions often mimic other entities, including vascular lesions and infections. Greater awareness of this entity and performing appropriate biopsies will result in more timely diagnoses and improved survival. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc, All rights reserved.