Patient NVT, born in 1950, came to the clinic with a black spot on the liver near the right heel. The patient said the lesion had been there for many years but because it did not itch, hurt or cause any discomfort, the patient did not pay attention to it. Over time, the black spot not only did not disappear but also grew larger and changed shape, leaving patches on the skin surface. When the family read articles about skin cancer online and saw that the symptoms described were similar to the patient's, they encouraged the patient to go to the doctor.

At the Central Dermatology Hospital, the patient was examined, ordered blood tests, ultrasound, and Dermoscopy - a special test in Dermatology that can detect early signs of skin cancer. The diagnosis results showed that the patient had melanoma on the sole of the right foot.

The patient underwent surgery to remove the entire tumor and performed a histopathological examination to accurately determine the extent of invasion and stage of the disease, thereby creating a timely treatment plan appropriate to the stage of the disease.

Fortunately for the patient, when screening on X-ray, ultrasound and controlling the regional lymph nodes during surgery, there were no signs of metastasis. After that, the patient underwent wide excision of the lesion, following the standard treatment for melanoma to ensure the removal of all cancer cells, limit recurrence and skin defects after tumor removal were reconstructed by skin grafting technique.

Dr. Vu Nguyen Binh - Department of Plastic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Central Dermatology Hospital said that melanoma is less common than other types of skin cancer. Although it accounts for only about 1%, melanoma is the cause of most deaths related to skin cancer due to its invasive nature and ability to metastasize quickly. Melanoma cells invade and metastasize to other organs by moving through tissues, blood and lymphatic systems. Cancer cells can metastasize to any location in the body, most commonly in the brain, lungs, liver, etc. Although the disease has a high rate of metastasis, if detected early and treated according to the correct regimen, the results are good, with a very high 5-year survival rate.

Melanoma can appear anywhere on the body. However, in Asians, it is more common on the palms and soles, accounting for about 50% of cases. Most of the patients we treat are similar. It starts with an area of ​​unevenly pigmented skin, brown interspersed with gray-black, with unclear boundaries, no pain, no itching. The lesion spreads to the surrounding area, can ulcerate or appear as raised tumors. Some authors believe that moles in some areas that are easily traumatized such as the hands, feet, or shaving areas have a high risk of developing into melanoma and advise early removal of moles in these areas.

In addition, melanoma can also occur under the nail, manifested by irregular hyperpigmented lesions that occupy part or all of the nail bed. Subungual melanoma is often diagnosed late because it is easily confused with other diseases such as subungual moles, traumatic hemorrhage, paronychia, fungal infections, and subungual warts. Therefore, any subungual hyperpigmented lesion must be examined carefully, especially those that extend along the entire length of the nail.

Most of the disease appears on hyperpigmented lesions in areas of skin that are pressed or rubbed. Localized malignant tumors often do not affect the patient's health much, so they are often overlooked.