https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3896-0309
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S. Bassoli, A. Kyrgidis, S. Ciardo, A. Casari, A. Losi, B. De Pace, G. Babino, E. De Col, J. Marchetti Cautela, F. Ferrari, E. Moscarella, A. Lallas, G. Argenziano, G. Pellacani, C. Longo, Uncovering the diagnostic dermoscopic features of flat melanomas located on the lower limbs, British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 178, Issue 3, 1 March 2018, Pages e217–e218, https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.16030
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E‐mail: [email protected]
Funding sources: this research was kindly supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (Project Code: NET‐2011‐02347213).
Conflicts of interest: none declared.
Dear Editor, Lower limbs represent the second most common site of all melanomas and the first for women.1,2 Few studies have explored the diagnostic clues that may help in early diagnosis of these melanomas.3 In this study we aimed to identify the specific clinical and dermoscopic characteristics of melanomas located on the lower limbs and to compare these with those of melanomas on the back (the most common site).
Cases of lesions located on the lower limbs were retrospectively retrieved; inclusion criteria were biopsy‐proven flat outlier lesions located on the lower limbs, excised with a clinical and dermoscopic suspicion of melanoma. A new dermoscopic descriptor was tested in the current study, based on the authors’ personal observation in clinical practice: the so‐called ‘wider skin markings pattern’ that corresponds to the presence of linear intercepting furrows, lighter than the lesion's overall pigmentation and wider than that in surrounding skin (Fig 1). The study included 247 lesions, collected from 2011 to 2016 (from the dermatology department of the University of Modena and the Skin Cancer Unit of Reggio Emilia Hospital): 22 were nonmelanocytic lesions and 225 were melanocytic: 71 melanomas (36 in situ melanoma and 35 < 1 mm Breslow), 89 common naevi and 65 Spitz naevi.
