Abstract
The following case report concerns a rare subungual melanoma of left thumb which metastasized into the ipsilateral axilla. Subungual melanoma, or melanotic whitlow, is a malignant lesion requiring early diagnosis and urgent treatment. Unlike melanomas located elsewhere on the skin of the body, subungual melanomas are shielded by the nails, which handicaps the securing of a biopsy by the clinician. We report a case of subungual melanoma in a 61 year-old man who had a 6 months history of painful axillary mass.