Melanoma – Amelanotic Melanoma

Amelanotic Melanoma is a rare variant of melanoma that I occasionally encounter in both my The Woodlands dermatology and Conroe dermatology offices.  Amelanotic Melanoma “breaks the rule” of other melanomas in that it does not have clinically apparent pigment so these melanomas do not have the characteristic black, brown or blue coloration.  Thus, detection of Amelanotic Melanomas necessitates patients and dermatologists recognizing suspicious clinical features such as a lesion changing size/shape or the lesion developing symptoms such as bleeding or pain.  Amelanotic Melanomas are commonly mistaken clinically for basal cell cancers or pyogenic granulomas.  Treatment of Amelanotic Melanoma is wide excision with or without a sentinel lymph node biopsy as well as lifelong surveillance by a board certified dermatologist.