Subungual melanoma--case report and literature review.

Subungual melanoma is an infrequent malignant tumor which, despite its visibility and easy accessibility, is often misdiagnosed and thus inappropriately treated. This delay in recognition often results in a worsened prognosis. All persistent nail lesions which do not respond to conservative treatment, whether pigmented or not, should undergo excisional biopsy and pathologic examination. A case of subungual melanoma is presented to illustrate the typical presentation and clinical characteristics.