Abstract
Acral melanoma is the most common type of malignant melanoma in non-Caucasians. In recent years, it has been revealed that melanoma of this type has unique morphological and molecular alterations. In this article, characteristics of acral melanoma are reviewed from various aspects and the basic and clinical significance of these characteristics are discussed. We reported a unique dermoscopic finding in acral melanoma, the parallel ridge pattern, which is particularly useful in detecting acral melanoma in the early developmental phases. Molecular characteristics of acral melanoma revealed by Bastian’s group, such as amplification of cyclin D1, are also useful to identify early acral melanoma. Moreover, recent molecular studies have indicated that molecular targeting therapy will become one of the choices in the treatment of acral melanoma.