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Nail matrix nevi in children exhibit more melanoma features vs. adults
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Malignant melanoma-associated features, including pseudo-Hutchinson sign, triangular sign and dots/globules, were more frequent in the nail matrix nevi of children than adults, according to study results.
“Longitudinal melanonychia is defined as a brown to black longitudinal pigmentation of the nail plate, with many possible causes. Nail matrix nevus is one cause of longitudinal melanonychia,” Jungyoon Ohn, MD, of the department of dermatology at Seoul National University College of Medicine, South Korea, and colleagues wrote. “To make an accurate diagnosis, nail matrix biopsy is essential; however, biopsy can cause severe pain and permanent nail dystrophy.”
Ohn and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of 90 patients (34 adults and 56 children) diagnosed with nail matrix nevi at Seoul National University Hospital between January 2005 and December 2014.
To investigate the differences of dermoscopic findings among the adults and children, the researchers reviewed medical record data which included medical record number, age, sex, duration of symptoms, site, clinical photographs and dermoscopic photographs.
Overall, 58 nail matrix nevi from 56 children and 35 nail matrix nevi from 34 adults were analyzed. Results showed that pigmentation was more likely to be broader in children, but this was not significant. In addition, melanonychia caused by nail matrix nevi were darker and multicolored (P < .001) in children.
“Although regular patterns were more common in our data, irregular patterns were not infrequent, occurring in 34.5% of children and in 17.1% of adults,” Ohn and colleagues wrote.
Researchers more frequently identified malignant melanoma-associated features such as pseudo-Hutchinson sign (P = .004), triangular sign (P = .001), and dots/globules (P = .004) in children. Children also displayed an irregular pattern and Hutchinson sign more often than adults, but these differences were not significant.
“The dermoscopic patterns of [nail matrix nevi] in children were different from those in adults,” the researchers wrote. “Our results may aid the clinical decision making in cases of [nail matrix nevi]-associated melanonychia in both adults and children.” – by Alaina Tedesco
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures
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