Lentigo Maligna Partially Treated with Ruby Laser

Abstract

A 73-year-old woman had had a black-brown macule on the left cheek for the previous 20 years. Recently, the black spots in the center of the lesion had been treated with ruby laser. A few days after that treatment, she came to our hospital because the treated area had eroded. After epithelialization, the lesion was an irregular, relatively well-defined, dark or light black-brown macule 28×11 mm in diameter, with black and white spots in the center, presumably as a result of the previous laser treatment. Based on clinical features and histopathologic findings, we made a diagnosis of lentigo maligna. The lesion was surgically excised, and, additionally, local injection of interferon-β was administered. There has been no recurrence in 27 months. Histologically there were only rare nested atypical melanocytes, but many single melanocytes in the area that been recently treated. Our experience suggests that ruby laser treatment of lentigo maligna may not be curative.