Brown line on mom’s fingernail turns out to be rare form of melanoma

(Gray News) - A brown line on a mother’s fingernail turned out to be a rare form of melanoma, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Lauren Koltcz, 45, said she noticed a brown streak on her thumbnail one day, but did not think much of it at first.

“I just put it on the back burner. I think a lot of people in similar situations tend to put others first, and I just let it go for a while,” she said.

Koltcz assumed the spot was from a vitamin deficiency, but over time, she realized it started spreading across her nail.

She came across a video of a dermatologist showing something that looked like what was under her nail. She immediately made an appointment with a dermatologist to get it checked out.

“I was concerned because the pigmentation on her nail was very dark, there were different shades of brown, and the spot was wider than 3 millimeters,” said Dr. Allison Vidimos with the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Dermatology.

Koltcz had her nail removed and a biopsy of the brown spot was taken. The results showed that she had subungual melanoma, a serious and rare skin cancer that develops under the nail.

“I just couldn’t believe it. Everybody knows someone who’s had cancer, and now I was one of them,” she said.

Subungual melanoma usually appears as a vertical streak on the nail and is most likely to develop in the big toe, thumb or index finger. It is important to take note of any nail changes because the cancer can develop on any nail, and the discoloration does not always happen.

“Remembering to check your nails along with your skin is crucial. Unlike other skin cancers, subungual melanoma isn’t linked to sun exposure, and the exact cause is unclear – so staying vigilant is key,” Vidimos said.

Vidimos said that when subungual melanoma is caught early, there is over a 95% survival rate, but if it is not caught at an early stage, it can spread to the lymph nodes, making treatment more challenging.

Koltcz’s cancer was caught at stage 0, and she had surgery to remove the cancer and some of the tissue around the area to ensure no cancer cells were left. She currently shows no evidence of cancer.

“After the surgery, I didn’t have to go through chemotherapy or radiation. I just kept thinking, ‘How lucky am I that I caught it in time and had such great doctors to treat it,’” she said.

Koltcz said that she has an important message for parents.

“My message is for all the parents and anyone who’s out there running this race of a life: You have to take time to take care of yourself, because if you don’t, who’s going to care for the people you love if you’re not here? Don’t put off any symptoms or skip out on your annual exams,” she said.

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