Abstract
We studied the difference between patients with malignant melanoma on the heel and those on the sole, excluding the heel. Data on thirty-eight patients (19 on the heel, 19 on the sole) was collected in Sasebo City General Hospital or Nagasaki Municipal Hospital. Since early melanomas on the heel usually appeared with a tinted color and uncertain border, most people see the spots as “a blotch” or “a stain”. Therefore they do not perceive them as a threat which results in delays in seeking medical attention. An average size of melanoma on the heel was statistically larger than that on the sole (414 mm2 and 272 mm2 respectively, p=0.024). Most of the patients who had some knowledge of melanoma visited a hospital before the size of the tumor exceeded 10 mm in diameter, and the tumor thickness was also less than 1 mm. For early detection and treatment, we should disseminate accurate information about melanoma particularly more widely.[Skin Cancer (Japan) 2012 ; 27 : 37-42]
