Subungual melanoma is a rare, but one of the diagnostically most difficult variants of melanoma. Unfortunately, due to its late detection, lack of an early reaction from the patient and diagnosis in advanced stages, subungual melanoma is deemed as a prognostically unfavorable variant of this malignancy. Diagnosis of subungual melanoma is very difficult to establish merely on the basis of clinical examination due to the resemblance of subungual hematoma to melanocytic nevus, fungal or bacterial infections. Dermoscopy seems to be the ideal diagnostic tool in the differential diagnosis of this life-threatening disease.
Aims: To describe the basic aspects of dermoscopy of subungual melanoma and other conditions involving the nails.
Methods: Review of medical database PubMed for the literature of the last 10 years on the dermoscopic patterns of subungual melanoma and other subungual diseases.
Results: We collate the fundamental rules of performing dermoscopy in subungual melanoma, as well as basic dermoscopic features and diagnostic algorithms of selected subungual lesions requiring differentiation from melanoma.
Conclusions: Dermoscopy is a safe, easily repeatable diagnostic method, and the knowledge of basic dermoscopic patterns of developing melanoma in subungual localization, along with the differential diagnosis of other diseases within the nail plate, will help not only dermatologists, but also the professionals of other specialties, such as surgeons, oncologists, orthopedists, and also general practitioners.