Melanoma lentiginoso acral ¿Qué sabemos de uno de los melanomas mas frecuentes en Latinoamérica?

Melanoma is the cutaneous cancer with the highest mortality worldwide. Four main subtypes have been described in cutaneous melanoma; superficial spreading melanoma, nodular melanoma, lentigo maligna melanoma and acral lentiginous melanoma. There are racial differences in the distribution and frequency of these subtypes. In Caucasians, the risk is higher for melanomas on skin exposed to UV radiation, either chronically or intermittently. In contrast, in Asians, African Americans, and Hispanics, the trend is greater in unexposed anatomical sites (palms and soles); which is called acral lentiginous melanoma. This melanoma is usually diagnosed in advanced stages, and therefore has a worse prognosis. This review aims to provide an update on what is known so far about acral lentiginous melanoma, mainly describing the epidemiology, risk factors associated with the genetic characteristics and prognosis of acral lentiginous melanoma.