amelanotic melanoma
Meaning of amelanotic melanoma: Amelanotic melanoma is a form of skin cancer that lacks the dark pigment typical of melanoma, often appearing pink or red instead.
Definition of amelanotic melanoma
Amelanotic melanoma is a form of melanoma, a cancer arising from pigment producing skin cells, in which the tumor cells produce little or no melanin, the pigment that gives most melanomas their characteristic dark brown or black color.
Because it lacks this typical pigmentation, amelanotic melanoma often appears pink, red, or skin colored, and its edges may show light brown, tan, or gray coloring rather than the more obvious dark pigmentation associated with typical melanoma. This appearance can make it resemble a variety of benign skin conditions.
Because amelanotic melanoma does not fit the pigmented appearance most people associate with melanoma, it can be more difficult to recognize and is sometimes diagnosed at a later stage, making a biopsy of a persistent or changing skin lesion important even when the lesion is not darkly pigmented.
Used in a sentence
A biopsy of the pink, slowly enlarging lesion confirmed amelanotic melanoma.
Good to know
Amelanotic melanoma lacks the dark pigmentation typically associated with melanoma, which can delay recognition since it may resemble a benign skin lesion rather than a classic pigmented mole.
Word origin
Where “amelanotic melanoma” comes from
Formed from Greek a-, meaning without, and melas, meaning black, combined with the suffix -oma, meaning tumor.