Analysis Finds Low Malignancy Rate in Pediatric Longitudinal Melanonychia.

A recent analysis found that longitudinal melanonychia (LM) in children, which is a pigmented band in the nail plate caused by increased melanin deposition, has an extremely low rate of malignancy. The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 1391 pediatric patients with LM and found that benign nail matrix nevus accounted for 86% of cases, while only eight cases of subungual melanoma in situ were diagnosed and no cases of invasive melanoma were identified. The study suggests that clinical monitoring may be a viable option for children with LM, rather than immediate biopsy. However, it is important to note that most studies were conducted in Asia and data stratified by skin type were limited. [Extracted from the article]