Chemotherapy-Induced Asymmetrical Melanonychia

 

Ivan Petković^1,2

 

¹University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia
²Oncology Clinic, University Clinical Center Niš, Niš, Serbia

 

SUMMARY

 

Introduction: Chemotherapy may cause various nail damages, including chromonychia, melanonychia, onycholisis, and onychomadesis. Melanonychia is characterized by melanin–derived brown–to–black nail pigmentation. It may occur as a result of nail matrix melanocytic activation or melanocytic hyperplasia, and nail invasion by melanin–producing pathogens.
Case report: We present a case of a patient who developed an extremely rare event of asymmetric melanonychia during systemic treatment of non–Hodgkin lymphoma. The melanonychia developed in dose–dependent manner after 500 mg of doxorubicin. One of the most incriminating agents for melanonychia development are doxorubicin and to a less extent cyclophosphamide. Our patient received both drugs as combined chemotherapy. After treatment completion, the phenomenon disappeared. An extremely unexpected event was skin melanoma occurrence.
Conclusion: It has not been clarified yet whether this event was causally related to previous nail-related melanocyte activation or it was just a coincidence.

 

Keywords: chemotherapy, melanonychia, chromonychia

 

  

Corresponding author:

Ivan Petković

e-mail: ivan.petkovic@medfak.ni.ac.rs