MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Skin cancer, melanoma on the fingernail

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Skin cancer, melanoma on the fingernail

Malignant melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Melanomas beneath the fingernail appear as a black or bluish black discoloration. This type of malignancy spreads (metastasizes) readily.

Update Date: 10/30/2006

Updated by: William Matsui, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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