Red Melanomas

Red papules and nodules should raise suspicion of melanoma, but the mortality risk is comparable with pigmented melanomas.

An innocent-looking red nodule may be an amelanotic melanoma, but red nodules may also arise inside a superficial-spreading or other melanoma type. When a dermatopathologist renders a diagnosis of melanoma, the clinician is often surprised.

To characterize and estimate the prevalence of primary cutaneous malignant melanomas presenting as red lesions, investigators examined 1170 cases from a melanoma database. Of these, 445 had data about color, and 46 were classifiable as amelanotic red melanomas (red melanomas without clinically evident melanin pigmentation) according to the study criteria (3.9% of all patients, 10.3% of those with color data). An unmatched control group consisted of 329 patients with pigmented melanomas (7 pigmented for ea…

Reviewing Author

Mark V. Dahl, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Ulthera, Inc.; AuBio LifeSciences, LLC; Paris Therapeutics

Equity Elorac, Inc.; Makucell, Inc.; Paris Therapeutics

Editorial boards UpToDate

Leadership positions in professional societiesNational Rosacea Society (Chairman, Medical Board)